


The Golden Rule

by wayward_winter_soldier



Series: My Name is Cisco Ramon and I am a Human Being [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Adorable Cisco Ramon, Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Bad Spanish, Branding, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Cisco Ramon Needs A Hug, Cisco Ramon Whump, Cisco Ramon has PTSD, Damian Wayne is a Little Shit, Dante Ramon is a Good Bro, Dick Grayson is a good bro, Gen, Good Hartley Rathaway, Hartmon is Less of a Squint Now, Human Experimentation, Hurt Cisco Ramon, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapped Cisco Ramon, Kidnapping, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Medical Torture, Nightmares, No Batman Knowledge Needed, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Barry Allen, Protective Dick Grayson, Recovery, Scars, The Ramon's A+ Parenting, Wayne Manor, protective everyone really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28179033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayward_winter_soldier/pseuds/wayward_winter_soldier
Summary: Cisco Ramon was rescued from Eiling and is now at Wayne Manor. He isn't sure what's going on and is just waiting for these new people to be cruel to him. That is the last thing Bruce Wayne and Co. want to do, however. Meanwhile, in Central City, the team is still looking for their friend, having no idea he is in Gotham. Will Cisco get better and find his way home?THIS IS A SEQUEL TO "The Edge of Reality" GO READ THAT FIRST!!!
Relationships: Cisco Ramon/Hartley Rathaway
Series: My Name is Cisco Ramon and I am a Human Being [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063283
Comments: 36
Kudos: 41





	1. Find Me in the Suburbs and the Shadow of Decay

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo, here we are again! Let's just jump right into it, shall we?
> 
> This first chapter will be a bit short, but don't worry, I don't plan to have the chapters be this short!

> “I think that little by little I'll be able to solve my problems and survive.”
> 
> _\- Frida Kahol_

* * *

"How old are you? What's your name, your real name? Do you have any parents? Are your parents dead? Do you have any siblings? Like a brother? Or a sister? Did you have a pet? Do you like pets? Bruce won't let us get a pet. Do you like animals? What's your favorite color?"

Tim Drake had the incredible ability to ask questions as if he were five and not seventeen, which Cisco Ramon found out in the span of a day at Wayne Manor. Tim liked to ask questions, but it didn't seem like he minded what the answers were because he just kept going and going until either Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, or Dick Grayson told him to stop. Damien Wayne also attempted to get the teenager to quit, but that always ended in a fight, Tim's stance being that he was older than Damien and didn't have to listen to him and Damien's side being that Tim was a dumbass with a brain the size of a walnut. These fights were always broken up by butler Alfred Pennyworth, who didn't get paid nearly enough for this nonsense. 

In response to the endless questions that spewed out of Tim's mouth, Cisco said nothing.

"Do you actually know English? I hear Dick talk to you in Spanish. I know some Spanish. Can you understand English? Are you really American or from somewhere else?"

The last question received a confused look that held a hint of "what the fuck did you just say to me" in it from Cisco, who had paused from his activity of twirling a loose thread from his sweater sleeve around his finger to give said look. Tim didn't seem to notice.

"Tim, stop bothering him," Dick said as he walked into the kitchen where Tim was asking Cisco a million questions. "Go away, go study."

Tim didn't seem to like that idea very much, but he dramatically slid out of his seat and stomped out. After a minute, the sound of a door slamming shut was heard throughout the Manor.

"Hey, kid, how're you?" Dick asked, the previous older-brother-knows-better demeanor disappearing from his face and tone of voice. He sat across the table from Cisco, making sure to give him space.

"Fine, Sir," Cisco mumbled, not looking up. To anyone else, this could seem like nothing, but to Dick it was progress. He usually referred to Dick, Bruce, Jason, and Alfred as "sir," which wasn't new, but he had answered in English. That was good.

It had been a week since the kid had arrived at Wayne Manor and everyone (okay, maybe not Damien, but he did have feelings deep, deep down) was concerned with their new resident. They still didn't know his name or his age or where he was from. They didn't know anything about his family either, so there was no way to contact anyone. The first night Bruce had shut down putting "found" posters up since the people who had hurt him could still be out there and he didn't want anything to happen to the kid. In fact, they had really just been calling him "the kid" since he had arrived. Everyone knew it wasn't a good plan for the long run, but they really didn't want to call him by the name branded on his arm. That was actually the last thing they wanted.

"Hey, I brought you something," Dick continued, a small smile still on his face as he slid a book across the table towards Cisco, who only blinked at it.

"It's a math book. I don't know if you like math but, why don't you try a few problems out. If you hate it, we could try something else. Bruce said that focusing on learning can help your mind heal. I dunno if that's true, but..."

Cisco placed a careful, shakey hand on the book as if it would burn him if he touched it. He opened it, looking inside. Algebra 1. Easy. Dick, who saw that things were going alright, slid the pencil over next. It took a moment for Cisco to situate his hand around the writing utensil. It had been so long since he had held a pen or pencil, but holding things was getting easier now that he actually used silverware. He looked up as if asking for permission. Dick nodded encouragingly and that was enough for Cisco to start to quickly work out the problems as if they all were simply 2+2. 

"Whoa, okay, you're good at math then," Dick finally said after Cisco had gone through five pages in under three minutes. "I'll get you harder stuff next time."

Cisco wasn't sure what this test was for, but it was at least better than being stabbed or electrocuted, so he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and continue solving the equations for his new captors.

* * *

Cisco's apartment was exactly like he had left it five weeks ago. Well, Hartley Rathaway had never been to his apartment, but it looked exactly how he imagined it would. There were a lot of figureines and action figures placed on shelves full with comics and video games, but everything was still neat. The framed Star Wars posters on the living room walls were straight and the Star Trek DVDs were all in proper order. There was a stack of mail on the kitchen table. Barry and the others had been taking turns getting his mail and watering the one plant he had in the kitchen window. They had also paid his rent. If Cisco came back, he would still have a home.

Hartley had never considered Cisco that neat of a person before. He remembered when they worked together. It seemed like ages ago now. Cisco was always leaving tools in his workspace. Whenever Hartley chewed him out about it, Cisco would always say "well, maybe I wasn't done with it yet," and give Hartley that dumb smile he seemed to only reserve for him.

Hartley missed that smile.

Hartley felt tears prick the corners of his eyes and he laughed harshly at himself. Was he seriously crying? He had hated this man just a few weeks ago, now he was crying at his absence? Cisco had been right; prison had changed him. It was so dumb, the way he had fallen in love with Cisco Ramon. It made no sense whatsoever, and Hartley hated when things didn't make sense. The point of life was to become so experienced that everything made sense, right? Hartley was beginning to doubt his definition the longer he spent thinking about the lost engineer.

Hartley sat on the couch, his head in his hands. How had he ended up like this? He used to value his ability to look out for himself and no one else. Now here he was crying over a man that had once been his biggest work rival. Now, though, Cisco was so much more. The man who laid injured in the cell next to Hartley after protecting him. The man who had said sarcastically that he loved Hartley. The man who told Hartley to run, get out without him. Save himself.

Cisco deserved better, Hartley thought, his heart aching at the lack of his presence. He'd be damned if he gave up so easily on Cisco. Cisco had never given up on him when they were in that terrible place. Hartley took a deep breath and stood.

He was going to find Cisco no matter what.

* * *

Oliver Queen watched from atop a building in Star City. To anyone, it could look like the Arrow's nightly rounds, like he wasn't looking for anything in particular, but that wasn't the case.

Cisco could be anywhere. Was it really so far-fetched for him to be in Star City?

Oliver still remembered the night they tried to rescue him and how they had failed. He wouldn't make that mistake again. No, this time he was going to find Cisco and do anything in his power to get him home safe. It was the least he deserved.

He had looked terrible. The image was still in Oliver's mind and it refused to leave. It haunted his dreams and every waking moment. How could something so terrible happen to someone so kind and so good? Because really, Cisco was the best of them. He was the one who was always there for others when they were hurt or sad but he never expected the same in return. He was always overlooked but he was the most important member of the team. Despite it being Team Flash, it really was Team Vibe. They wouldn't have been able to put away nearly as many bad guys without Cisco. Even Oliver knew that and he wasn't an official member of Team Flash.

They didn't even know half the things Eiling had done to him. Hartley didn't like to talk about what had happened at the facility. 

If- when- they found Cisco, he would be changed. That was exactly what Oliver was afraid of.

What if Cisco became like Oliver himself?

* * *

The sun shined through the curtains, waking Cisco from a fitful sleep. It had been a nightmare about Eiling breaking his bones. He was glad to be out of it.

The new room he slept in was very different. It was large and had all the things that normal bedrooms have. The bed was very comfortable and there were lots of pillows and blankets for him. He wasn't sure what their ploy was yet, but he knew he couldn't relax too much. Just because they seemed nice now didn't mean they wouldn't turn on him in an instant.

Cisco pushed back one of the heavy blankets and threw his feet over the side. There were new routines here and nothing like anything Eiling ever let him do.

For one, he got to shower every day. Dick had shown him the bathroom (which was right across the hall from the room he slept in) and had said that he should bathe every day. He also was supposed to change his clothes after he showered. Cisco had only one outfit at the facility, so changing clothes was an odd thing to get used to again. Dick had gone out and bought him some of his own clothes to wear and they were a lot like the ones Cisco wore before Eiling had taken him. He didn't know if that was a coincidence or something they did on purpose.

Also, he ate three meals a day. At first, it was very hard to keep all the food down since he was so used to only eating a meal a day. He had heard Alfred talking to Bruce about how he was too skinny and needed a lot of food, but Cisco didn't enjoy eating that much. It was always something different so he never knew what he would be eating. With Eiling it was always a sandwich. He never had to think. It was overwhelming at times.

Dick continued to give him math workbooks and Cisco continued to finish them quickly. When they got past Calculus, Dick finally started to ask some questions.

"How are you so good at math? Are you like a child prodigy?"

That was another thing about here; they all thought he was a child.

Sure, Cisco had never really hit his growth spurt and yes, all the weight he had lost made him seem smaller than he actually was, but he never in a million years thought that someone (least of all an entire household) would mistake him for a teenager. But, that was something Cisco had. They didn't know his age. He knew that it wasn't important, that it really gave nothing personal away, but it was still something he knew and they didn't. Eiling had known that he was Vibe and that Barry was the Flash, so he must have known all other sorts of personal things about him. These people, though, didn't even know his age.

Or, of course, they were faking and this was all a giant test.

In response to Dick's question, Cisco shrugged and accepted the Differential Equations workbook because maybe the reason they were being so nice was that he was completing the tasks they gave him. Even if those tasks were different than the ones Eiling gave him.


	2. I Set My Clocks Early Cause I Know I'm Always Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, one and all it is I, back with the next chapter in this exciting adventure that we are all on together. My first semester of college is over so I now have no excuses for not updating (though I am rather creative so I can't promise anything). The semester was okay. I got a lower score on my Archaeology final than I was expecting but it's okay. Life goes on. As does THIS BOOK! Let's get into it!

> "The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body. After all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind."
> 
> _\- Francois de la Roche Foucauld_

* * *

Hartley had no idea how to use Cisco's computer.

It wasn't like Hartley didn't know anything about tech. That was actually the exact opposite of the problem. The actual issue Hartley was having was getting into the password-protected system. There wasn't even a hint set up for anyone who failed a couple of times. Now, Hartley usually wouldn't have cared that much, but he really needed to go over some of the satellite images collected from the S.T.A.R. Labs satellite dishes and those were all stored on Cisco's personal S.T.A.R. Labs computer. Which was password-locked. Hence the struggle.

It was also impossible to override the command. Cisco was a careful hacker, evidently. Hartley had even called Felicity Smoak for help and even she couldn't get past the system Cisco had set up. This would have been great if Hartley was in any other situation.

"If I was Cisco Ramon, what would my password be?" Hartley asked himself out loud, spinning around in the desk chair as he thought. He had already tried "Ramon" and "startrek" and "Hanshotfirst" but nothing was working at all.

"Hey, I'm- sorry, I didn't realize you were working."

Hartley looked up to see who had entered. Dante. The two weren't very close at all. Dante seemed to be avoiding Hartley like the plague actually. Hartley wasn't stupid, though. He knew the exact reason Dante was upset.

Hartley had got out and not his little brother.

"No, you can come in. If you want," Hartley said, turning his attention back to Cisco's computer. "I'm trying to figure out Cisco's passcode. Any ideas?"

Dante looked a little taken aback to be asked for Hartley's help but answered anyway. "No. We're... we weren't that close."

"What, no childhood pets?" Hartley asked as he typed "Vibe" into the system. No dice.

"No," Dante said, still in the entrance of the workshop as if coming in would destroy space and time. "I'm going on a coffee run. Want anything?"

Hartley shook his head and Dante was quickly gone. He wished the relationship was less icy. They both cared about Cisco and both felt like they had failed him while they knew him. They both wanted to make things right.

Hartley typed in "Dante" and the computer unlocked.

* * *

"Hey."

Cisco looked up from the LEGOs Dick had left him with an hour earlier. He had said he could use them however he liked, that they were his. Cisco had liked LEGOs as a kid (who was he kidding, he still liked LEGOs) so he hadn't had a problem with Dick leaving him with a box of them at the kitchen table while he went out. Dick went out a lot it seemed, but whenever he wasn't out he was with Cisco. Cisco assumed this was a sort of observation. What will he build with the LEGOs? How good is he at math? Is he useful?

Again, Cisco did what he was told because they had yet to inject anything else into his body and he'd like to keep it that way.

It was Jason who had spoken, a rare smile on his face, though Cisco could tell it was a bit fake. Jason sat across the table from Cisco, looking like he was a dad who had been forced to go talk to his son because his wife said he was upset.

"Whatya building?"

"A car, Sir," Cisco answered, struggling a bit to say the word "car." His tongue never seemed to work when he needed it to. 

"That's pretty cool," Jason responded. He seemed uncomfortable to be around Cisco but not in a way that said he disliked him. More in a way that said he had no idea how to interact with him.

Cisco placed a red brick on top of a blue one, not looking up from his work.

"You know, you don't have to call any of us Sir. You can just call me Jason."

Cisco didn't reply. This was a test. This was definitely a test. Memories of what had happened when he didn't call Eiling Sir rushed through his head.

"Yes, Sir," Cisco mumbled. There was a sigh from Jason.

"We'll work on it," he said to himself, probably thinking Cisco couldn't hear him. Cisco heard everything nowadays, though. It was a blessing and a curse.

"Hey guys," Dick said, walking through the kitchen doors with a small smile on his face and a stack of books in his arms. "How're the LEGOs, kid?"

"Fine, Sir," Cisco answered.

"Did you rob a library, Dick?" Jason questioned, staring at all the books.

"What? No. These are for him. He's already breezed through all my math workbooks I thought we'd try some science and literature on for size."

"When did you become a tutor?" Jason mused in a sarcastic tone.

Dick placed the books on the kitchen table and then slapped Jason's shoulder. "Shut up."

"Well, I'll leave you guys to it," Jason said, standing from the table and leaving the kitchen.

Cisco looked up from the completed LEGO car, watching as the taller man left. Dick looked over at him and gave a small smile in return.

"Don't worry about him, he runs at the mention of learning. Hey, that's a great car!"

Dick inspected the car Cisco had made, holding the base in his hand and spinning the wheels with the other. "Wow."

Cisco looked down at his hands and made eye contact with his brands. He pulled the sweatshirt sleeves down from where they rested above his elbows and began to fiddle with the loose thread again.

"Have you used LEGOs before today?" Dick asked.

Cisco nodded. He didn't know why it really mattered if he had played with LEGOs before, but it seemed important to Dick. Maybe it was another part of the test.

Dick didn't say anything else, just placed the car down on the table once again and picked up the book that laid on top of the stack. "Do you know anything about biology?"

What kind of question was that? Cisco nodded his head, confused. 

"Okay, well, why don't we see what you know," Dick said, sliding the new book over.

Cisco read the title and looked at the pencil that Dick had also passed over. Was he supposed to just do science homework then?

"It's okay if it's a little hard at first," Dick said encouragingly.

Cisco ignored him, pushed back the need to roll his eyes, and began answering the simple questions from the textbook.

* * *

_"There hasn't been any recent breach activity."_

Caitlin sighed at the news. "Okay, thanks, Felicity. Let me know if anything new comes up."

_"Always."_

Caitlin clicked the end call button and threw her cell phone onto her desk. This was hopeless. How were they supposed to find Cisco. He could be anywhere. With the lack of breach energy popping up anywhere that did narrow down the search infinitely. He was still on Earth-1, that was a good thing. But where on the Earth was he? He could honestly be right in Central City and they would probably never know. She only hoped Hartley had got into the satellite's database to do a long-range scan.

How quickly the team had fallen apart without Cisco Ramon, Caitlin thought as she stood from her desk to pace in between the various medical equipment. 

He could be hurt. He could be dead. And Caitlin couldn't do anything about it.

She wanted to cry in frustration but resisted the urge. The last thing they needed was tears. Tears wouldn't help bring Cisco home. They would just have to keep searching. Eiling was dead which hopefully meant Cisco was out of whatever prison he had kept him in. However, Cisco could be wandering the streets of whatever city he had ended up in without food or money. Someone else could have taken him at this point. He could be frozen in a dark alley.

Caitlin tried to get the image of a dead Cisco out of her mind but it was hard.

"Hey, I got your coffee."

Caitlin looked up to see Dante holding out a coffee cup to her. She did her best to smile and thanked him.

He looked about as good as she felt. Losing his brother had taken its toll. Dante had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was a mess. Caitlin wasn't sure when he had last had anything in his system besides coffee, but she was in no place to judge or nag.

"Nothing?"

Caitlin confirmed Dante's question with a sad nod, taking a small drink of the coffee.

"He's alive. I know it. I would know if he was gone. And Cisco, he ain't gone. He's always been tough. Tougher than me. No matter what, he's surviving. I bet you ten bucks."

Caitlin couldn't help but smile at Dante's bet. "Only ten?"

Dante shrugged, drinking his own coffee. "Well, I'd bet more, but I'd have to bum some money off my _hermanito._ "

For the first time in a long time, both burst into uncontrollable laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hermanito means little brother
> 
> have a great night babes


	3. I Look Just Like Buddy Holly and you're Mary Tyler Moore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I do with my time now it seems is play Sims and wait for season 7 of The Flash to come out so I can complain that they did Cisco Ramon dirty.
> 
> Oh well. Enjoy the chapter. This whole book, actually, I've decided, is dedicated to two people in particular. Every chapter they comment, they always have something nice to say. This sequel wouldn't exist without their support. 
> 
> So, thank you SilverGrayAndMauve and Coolestjoy30 for always having a kind comment and telling me how much you love the story. Because reading your comments actually makes my day. :)

> “Some people turn sad awfully young. No special reason, it seems, but they seem almost to be born that way. They bruise easier, tire faster, cry quicker, remember longer and, as I say, get sadder younger than anyone else in the world. I know, for I'm one of them.”
> 
> _\- Mr. Jonas, Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury_

* * *

_"Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder!"_

_"Who's scruffy-looking?"_

Cisco could feel the tiniest smile in the world form on his lips as the scene played out. He had always loved this part from Empire. No one else in the movie theater that just seemed to exist in Wayne Manor noticed the smile, which he was glad for. The last thing he needed was Star Wars to be that of Alex DeLarge's Beethoven in _A Clockwork Orange._

This whole thing was actually Jason's idea, not Dick's. It seemed that everything was Dick's idea. Jason thought his older brother was making Cisco work too much on "boring school shit" so that morning at breakfast he had announced that they would all participate in a Star Wars original trilogy marathon. Dick seemed to want to argue, but Bruce had said it was a great idea and the last thing Dick wanted to do was make a scene at the breakfast table, especially in front of the kid. Tim was excited and Damien had a look on his face as if Jason had just suggested they all go out and eat rotten fish out of the dumpster. 

So, there they were, watching _The Empire Strikes Back_ and eating overly-buttered popcorn Alfred had prepared for them. Cisco hadn't touched his bowl except once when Dick gave him a strange look and told him to eat. It wasn't in a harsh way or in a tone that suggested it was an order, but Cisco did so anyway. At least for right now, he could forget he was in some strange place with people who may or may not want to do him harm. He could just pretend he was at his favorite cinema in Central City. 

That was until he felt the tell-tale sign of a Vibe coming on.

"Dios mío," Cisco muttered to himself as the scene of Han and Leia turned blue before fading out entirely.

* * *

_"...figure out Cisco's passcode. Any ideas?"_

_Cisco blinked as his vision adjusted. Where was he? He recognized that voice._

_Hartley._

_Cisco wanted to run and hug the man, who sat at a computer typing. He was safe. He wasn't dead then._

_"No. We're... we weren't that close."_

_There was another person in the room. Cisco's gaze diverted to the doorway, where Dante was standing awkwardly. So Dante was safe too. That was good, Cisco thought as he took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. They were okay. No one had them. No one was torturing them or holding them hostage to blackmail Cisco later on. The new people didn't know about them._

_Cisco's thoughts distracted him that by the time he was back to reality (or as real as a Vibe could be, he supposed) Dante had left. It was just Hartley and him._

_The taller man was typing on the computer once again. Cisco looked over his shoulder to see what he was doing. The screen was filled with scan results. Weather, Meta activity, you name it._

_"Where are you, Cisco?" Hartley muttered to himself as he kept typing in filter codes._

_Cisco wanted nothing more than to reach for him. He wanted Hartley to know he was here with him. Cisco tried to place a hand on Hartley's shoulder, but it went through._

_Hartley turned around as if someone had just burnt him. "Who's there?!"_

_Of course. Cisco_ had _touched him. He remembered back when... who was it... it was someone in a Vibe and he had touched... that person. That person had felt it. Cisco could touch people._

_"Hartley," Cisco breathed. "Please."_

_There was no sign that the taller man had heard him. Cisco felt frustration rise in his chest. This was stupid. Why couldn't he remember names? Why only Hartley and Dante and... there had to be another. Gary? No, that wasn't anybody he knew. What had Sample X done to him?_

_"Hartley!" Cisco yelled, louder than he had spoken in the past few weeks. It made his throat a bit sore, but he didn't care. He looked down at his feet. This was stupid. It wouldn't work._

_"Cisco...?"_

_At the sound of his name, he looked up. Hartley was staring right at him. "Cisco, are you here?"_

_Cisco nodded his head violently. "Yes, yes, yes! Yes!"_

_He reached to touch Hartley again. His hands still went through his arms, but Hartley reacted, just less violently than before. He was crying. Why was he crying, Cisco thought._

_"I'm... we're gonna... you're gonna come home, Cisco, I promise. Fuck, I promise, Cisco, just. Where are you? What city?"_

_Cisco didn't know the answer to that. Tears were pricking at the corners of his eyes. He didn't know where he was and now he would never get home. He would never see his brother or Hartley again._

_He could feel the Vibe ending. For the first time ever, he never wanted it to end._

* * *

Cisco blinked his eyes open. The movie had stopped. Why had it stopped?

Everyone was standing over him as if he had just died and come back to life. Cisco could feel the blood running down his face from his nose.

"Are you okay? You're bleeding!"

Cisco felt something press against his nose to clean up the blood. They never cleaned up his nosebleeds before. Why now?

"Kid, are you okay?" Jason asked.

Everything was fuzzy to Cisco, with his headache still pounding and his mind still on Hartley and the Vibe he had just had. He nodded slowly, hoping that would be enough for them. That they wouldn't make him do it again or strap him down and start cutting and cutting until-

Dick kneeled down in front of where Cisco sat, a look of almost motherly concern on his face. "Kid, what just happened?"

Cisco looked at the man, confused. Didn't they know what he could do? Wasn't that the point of them keeping him?

"Vibe, Sir," Cisco said slowly, trying to enunciate his words clearly.

"What's a Vibe?" Dick asked, his eyes unconsciously looking down at Cisco's arm where that exact word was branded, hidden under only a sweater sleeve.

Now Cisco was even more confused. How did they not know what a Vibe was? Had no one filled them in on anything? Then why were they even holding him in this new facility? What was the point of any of this?

"Tengo visiones de cosas que pueden suceder o han sucedido. Simplemente suceden, a veces cuando estoy tocando algo o tal vez simplemente porque sí. Me duele la cabeza y cuando uso mucha energía durante una, me sangra la nariz." _I have visions of things that can happen or have happened. They just happen, sometimes when I'm touching something or maybe just because. My head hurts and when I use a lot of energy during one, my nose bleeds._

Dick nodded in understanding, not seeming to mind that Cisco had switched over to Spanish to explain what a Vibe was. "Is that why Eiling had you, then? Because you have powers?"

Cisco tensed at the name but nodded. He was still confused, though. If they didn't want him for his powers, what did they want? Dick had been testing him on things a lot, maybe they wanted him as an engineer. Maybe they needed a weapon built. Cisco really didn't want to be forced to build another weapon for a bad guy. Even if they had saved him from Eiling, they still kidnapped him, right? They could have just killed Eiling because he was in the way of them getting Cisco to build their stuff.

Suddenly Cisco was terrified, though. Now that they knew he had powers, maybe they would want to use those too. Cisco wasn't usually one for begging, but he wasn't sure he had any other choice in this situation. Tears began streaming down his face and he wished they would just stop. He felt so weak and helpless but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Por favor, construiré lo que quieras, ¡pero no me hagas Vibe! Por favor, haré cualquier cosa, ¡no me lastimes!" Cisco sobbed, his head ducked down as he spoke. 

"What happened, what did he say?" Jason questioned, looking shocked. Dick said nothing, the blood draining from his face as he heard what Cisco said. Tim stared at Bruce expectedly, waiting.

"He said he would build us anything we wanted as long as we didn't force him to Vibe. He's begging for us not to hurt us," Bruce said in a disgusted voice that was aimed at whatever Eiling had done to the kid. 

"We aren't gonna hurt you or make you Vibe, okay? You're safe, we promise!" Jason said, trying to calm Cisco down now that he was having a full-on panic attack.

"¡Por favor déjame solo, no me lastimes!" Cisco cried, tucking his knees under his chin as he tried to calm himself. The breathing the nice doctor had taught him wasn't working why wasn't it working it had to be working everything was too much it was just too much-

_Please leave me alone, don't hurt me!_

Dick pushed Jason and Tim back while Bruce backed away on his own. He went back to kneeling in front of Cisco, his heart beating rapidly against his chest.

"Hey, it's okay, it's just me and you. It's Dick, remember? I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise."

"Mi nombre es Cisco Ramon y soy un ser humano. Mi nombre es Cisco Ramon y soy un ser humano. Mi nombre es Cisco Ramon y soy un ser humano. Mi nombre es Cisco Ramon y soy un ser humano," Cisco muttered under his breath as he rocked back and forth in the chair.

"What's he saying?" Tim asked in a soft voice.

"His name is Cisco Ramon," Dick said, turning towards his family. "And he's a human being."

* * *

If one were to do a Google search on the name "Cisco Ramon," one would find a couple of things.

For starters, they would find a Twitter account with the username @chroniclesofcisco where the user would complain about anything from Luke Skywalker's character arch in the newest movies to people who said Star Trek was "too diverse" along with tech updates and posts from the International Space Station. You would also find an Instagram with the same username with various pictures of finished engineering projects, pictures of the same smiling man with various other people in different locations, and the rare coffee pic. You would also notice none of the accounts had been updated in six weeks.

You would not find a Facebook, however. That was what disappointed Dick the most with his search. You could usually tell someone's entire life from their Facebook profile, but he would just have to go on with Twitter and Instagram (and perhaps there was a Tumblr out there somewhere but Dick hadn't found it yet).

Secondly, you would find a thesis paper from MIT about the implications of String Theory on how we perceive space and time written by graduate student Francisco Ramon. You would also find some other papers written by the same person, with the same exact photo and bio attached. Nice suit, the tie straight, and his long hair pulled back into a bun. Francisco Ramon is a mechanical engineer with degrees from the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was awarded the Presidential Graduate Fellowship Award and graduated as salutatorian of his class.

Dick couldn't help but see how differently he looked. How much happier. Healthier. Older.

Lastly, you would find an article from The Detroit Press about a ten-year-old science fair winner who's experiment on particle accelerators won him first place fourteen years ago.

Making Cisco Ramon twenty-four years old, not a small teenager like they had all originally thought. Dick couldn't help but feel a tad bit bad about that. He would have been offended if someone who was his own age talked to him as if he were younger than he really was. He couldn't imagine how Francisco was feeling.

After printing out all the information Dick could find, he presented it to Bruce, who was sitting in the Batcave, an activity he did when he had something on his mind.

"It checks out. He's who he says he is," Dick said, dropping the file he had created on the desk in front of Bruce, who didn't seem to notice that Dick had said anything. He began flipping through the pages.

"He's twenty-four. An engineer, an extremely smart one at that. These social media pictures. He seems so... happy. Carefree," Bruce spoke mostly to himself, but Dick listened anyway, taking a seat across the man at the desk.

"Eiling ruined his life. He took everything from him. Look at the man he used to be and then look at the one in the other room. I had him doing high school math like he was some kid and he didn't even argue. Didn't even fight back. He's _broken_ , Bruce."

Bruce sighed. "Not broken, Dick. He just needs a little help. He'll be okay. He'll come back."

A picture of Cisco with a taller brunette man at a coffee shop called C.C. Jitters, both smiling brightly, was what Bruce left off on as he stood, looking at Dick as he did. 

"He'll get better." 


	4. Obligatory Christmas Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's happening, dudes?
> 
> Here's a new chapter for ya! I probably won't be updating on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and I apologize for that. But if this is the last chapter before the holidays, I hope you all have a wonderful time with family and friends (socially distanced, of course) and Merry Christmas and such. I know I will be having a nice Jewish Christmas (which is not Hanukkah btw, Jewish Christmas is an unofficial holiday where we eat Chinese food and go see movies in theaters, but this year it's take out and movies at home) lmao! This chapter took a while to write mostly just because it's so damn long and I also kept getting distracted. Consider the length a holiday gift from yours truly.
> 
> So is it okay if this is an obligatory Christmas chapter? I mean, I like head-cannoning characters as Jewish and all, but I don't think Cisco's Jewish, so we'll go for Christmas if that works for y'all. We can call it "Jewish Writer Writes a Christmas Chapter with knowledge only from pop culture, Home Alone 1 and 2, and Muppets Christmas Carol." It'll be fun lol.
> 
> On with the chapter!!!

> "I been looking at the stars tonight  
>  And I think oh, how I miss that bright sun  
>  I'll be a dreamer 'til the day I die  
>  But they say oh, how the good die young"
> 
> _\- Spirits, The Strumbellas_

* * *

  
Barry Allen was one to be emotional. That was just something about him. It was okay to have emotions, he had learned a long time ago. In fact, keeping them bottled up was much worse. He had actually learned that at therapy when his mother had died and his father had gone to prison. While Oliver Queen remained emotionless even in times of despair, Barry wasn't afraid to cry.

Which was what he was doing this exact minute. He sat against the wall of what the team had dubbed The Braille Room where the AI Gideon lived. His face was in his hands as he let loose frustrated tears. It had never taken this long to find any member of Team Flash. Barry was an optimistic person, but things were starting to look bleak. They should have found him by now. He should have been home by now.

Barry could sense a presence with him in the room and quickly wiped away his tears with his sweatshirt sleeve.

"Hey, Caitlin said you'd be in here," Iris said, taking a seat next to Barry on the ground. She put a hand on his shoulder and he smiled a bit at the touch.

"Hey," Barry replied, sniffling his nose a bit as he kept rubbing his eyes dry. 

  
"We're gonna find him, Barr. I promise," Iris smiled in a sad way.

"I know, I know, it's just... he's been gone so long and it's almost Christmas... It's just... hard, you know?"

Iris nodded in understanding. "I know it's hard right now, Barry, but we will find Cisco. No matter what."

All Barry could hope for was Iris' promise to come true.

* * *

It was the first Christmas without Cisco.

Even when he was fighting with his mother or not wanting to even look at Dante's stupid face, Cisco had come over for the holidays. No matter what. He could be in the worst place with the rest of the Ramons but that wouldn't matter on Christmas. Cisco would come with gifts that were perfect for his family members despite them not being very close and they would all forget for just one day that they hated each other most of the time.

But Cisco wasn't here. And his absence was felt.

Dante leaned against the wall of the living room, looking at the Christmas tree he had put up the day before and the few gifts his mother had already gotten to wrapping. This was stupid. Why should they celebrate Christmas and be merry when Cisco was out there all alone and quite possibly dead? Dante knew he had never been the best big brother and now all he could think about was the awful things he had ever said to Cisco. Calling him mija and making fun of his interests and taking jabs at his hair. It all came back to him making him feel like the worst person in the universe.

"Dante, could I get some help in the kitchen, por favor?"

The eldest Ramon brother snapped out of his thoughts and headed to the kitchen to assist his mother, Cisco still on his mind.

* * *

"Master Bruce, the Christmas tree has been delivered," Cisco overheard Alfred say from where he was in the library, reading a book he had found on the shelf that looked mildly interesting.

A Christmas tree? It wasn't December already, was it?

Cisco placed the book on the end table and stood from the couch he had been sitting at. He peaked his head out from behind the doorframe to see two men hauling in a large Christmas tree through the hallways, Alfred following close behind to make sure they didn't break anything.

"Christmas time!" Cisco heard Tim cheer as he ran down the hall to follow the tree being brought in.

"Tim, stop running in the halls we’ve talked about this!" Dick shouted back.

Cisco walked into the hallway slowly, following the sounds of voices towards the living room. 

Everyone was there, even Damien, though he didn't seem to be that excited about the tree. The men who delivered it were putting it up as Alfred supervised and Jason, Bruce, and Dick watched. Cisco remembered Christmas time, though it was fuzzy. Everything got fuzzy at times ever since they injected him with all those chemicals. It was hard to recall certain memories. Like, he knew he had had a Christmas tree before and that he had had fun on Christmas day, but he couldn't really remember anything specific about those events. It was strange, to say the least.

"Hey, Cisco, look! It's Christmas!"

Cisco looked over towards Dick, who smiled brightly at him as he pointed towards the tree. Cisco didn't return the smile which faltered Dick's smile a bit, but no one noticed. 

"Maybe he doesn't celebrate Christmas," Jason argued. "We didn't even ask."

"I... cel-e-brate Christ...maas," Cisco sounded out the English very carefully, which took him a little longer than he was hoping. No one seemed to mind.

"Yeah? That's cool," Dick said encouragingly. "We always get a big tree, don't we Bruce?"

Bruce nodded in response, seeming to not really be listening to what Dick was saying.

"What do you want for Christmas, Cisco?" Tim asked as he hung upsidedown on the couch much to Bruce's annoyment. 

"Yeah, what would you like?" Dick added on, waving goodbye to the delivery men as they left.

What did he want for Christmas? Was he supposed to get something? He knew that was obviously how Christmas worked, he remembered that much, but he didn't think they would give him anything. They were already being nice by not doing experiments on him. Dick had stopped with his studies after his panic attack but told him he could still read and build stuff as much as he wanted. He had shown him a part of a room they called the Batcave that had some tools that Cisco could use whenever he wanted. He didn't even have to build anything he didn't want to. Cisco had yet to use the workshop mostly due to the fact that he was terribly confused by everyone's actions at the Manor.

"N-nothing, Sirs," Cisco responded, looking down to his feet as he spoke.

"You can have whatever you want for Christmas, Cisco. We'll get it for you," Dick promised.

What did Cisco want? What was the thing he most wanted in the world? He wanted to see his family. He wanted to see Dante and Hartley. But he knew that would never happen. They would never let him go. He was stuck here. Wasn't he?

"I... I don't k-know," Cisco said honestly. He really didn't doubt that they could get him anything, considering the size of the house they lived in, but he honestly didn't know what he even wanted, besides going home. Maybe they would at least let him see Hartley, just for a little bit. "H-hartley? Can I see Hartley, Sir?"

Everybody looked at each other confused and Cisco could feel his face heating up. They were going to punish him now, weren't they?

"Who's Hartley?" Dick asked, walking over to where Cisco stood. He didn't seem to notice how Cisco stepped back a bit or if he did he didn't say anything.

"Él es mi amigo. Eiling también lo tenía a él. Nos protegemos unos a otros. No lo he visto en mucho tiempo y lo extraño mucho. ¿Puedo verlo por un minuto o dos? ¡Prometo que no desobedeceré ni intentaré escapar! ¡Lo prometo!" 

_He's my friend. Eiling had him too. We protected each other. I haven't seen him in so long and I miss him a lot. Can I just see him for a minute or two? I promise I won't disobey or try to run away! I promise!_

Dick sighed in a sad way and Cisco took that as a no. "I dunno, Cisco-"

"¡Está bien, está bien! No me importa, lo entiendo. Solo, por favor no me castigues, ¡lo siento!" Cisco said rapidly, his hands up in a defensive position.

_It's okay, it's okay! I don't mind, I understand. Just, please don't punish me, I'm sorry!_

Dick sighed again. "No one's gonna punish you Cisco, no matter what you do. I promise. I'm just not sure if your friend is..."

He trails off but Cisco knows the word he's going to say. Alive. But he's not dead. Cisco saw him in his Vibe. He was at that place. That lab... what was its name? It was on the tip of Cisco's tongue. What the hell was that place?

"Supongo que ir a casa está fuera de discusión," Cisco muttered to himself, hoping Dick hadn't heard. To Cisco's horror, the taller man answered him.

_I suppose going home is out of the question._

"Home? You want to go home- Cisco, do you know where home is? Do you remember?"

Dick sounded frantic and Cisco wasn't really sure why. Everyone else seemed to be interested in what Cisco's answer would be as well. He felt very put on the spot. He racked his mind. Where was home? It wasn't here. Cisco really didn't know where here was, actually. 

"I... don't re-mem-ber," Cisco stated, not meeting Dick's eyes. "I'm sor-ry."

"Don't be, it's alright, Cisco. We'll find home for you, okay? You'll get to go home one day."

Cisco wished he could trust the man but he was having a hard time doing so. 

* * *

When Dick found Cisco in the workshop located in the Batcave, he was really glad. He was afraid Cisco wouldn’t go down there despite Dick telling him that he could go anywhere in the Manor he wanted. Cisco, though he was warming up to the residents of Wayne Manor, was still withdrawn. Dick was working on making sure Cisco felt safe and comfortable with them, but he was afraid that he still thought they were his captors. 

Dick peeked his head into the workshop to see what Cisco was working on. He wasn’t using the tools and there wasn’t anything half-built on the table. Instead, it looked like Cisco was writing something. Dick knocked on the doorframe to announce his presence.

Cisco jumped at the sound and quickly rushed to cover up whatever it was he was writing, but Dick was faster. He was over to Cisco’s desk in time to see him try to cover up various photos Dick recognized from the file he had put together.

"Lo siento, lo siento, ¡por favor no me lastimes!"

"I'm not gonna hurt you, it's okay!" Dick said, trying to calm the shorter man. He looked dubious, but nodded anyway, not meeting Dick's eyes.

"What were you working on?" Dick asked, sliding a free stool over to Cisco's desk to sit across from him, still at a distance to make sure that Cisco felt comfortable.

Cisco didn't say anything but lifted one of the engineering papers he had written and slid a piece of yellow lined paper from a legal pad from under it towards Dick, who gazed down at Cisco's slightly shaky writing.

**Hartley. Dante. ~~Gary~~. ~~Larry~~. Names??? Lab. Lab name. City. Something City. Names?!?! Engineer. Michigan. Detroit, Dante, home. ~~Home is Detroit?~~ NO NO NO NO NO STUPID IDIOT STUPID STUPID REMEMBER REMEMBER REMEMBER REMEMBER!!! WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER?! Star. What is Star? Find the Star. ~~Katherine~~ NAMES! Detective, doctor. What does that mean? FIND HOME!**

Dick frowned at the ramblings, wanting to cry. Cisco was trying to remember. That's what he was doing down here with the file. 

"Cisco," Dick started, asking non-verbally for permission to hold Cisco's hand, who nodded, letting Dick take the man's hand in his own. "I'm sorry about what they did to you. I wish it had never happened to you. It's not fair, you deserve better, so much better."

Cisco didn't say anything for a minute and Dick at first thought that Cisco hadn't believed him. Then, he spoke, very carefully in English.

"You're being... so nice. Some-times I don't... un-der-stan-d. I don't de-serve it."

Dick felt his heart break. His eyes met a photo of Cisco from the past with a taller brunette man and a woman with light brown hair, all smiling. He had been so happy and bright and then Eiling had gotten his hands on him and destroyed him. Now he didn't even think he deserved people being nice to him.

"You- G-d, Cisco, you deserve all the niceness in the world, trust me. Whatever Eiling told you, it wasn't true. Just because you have powers doesn't mean you don't deserve to be treated fairly. Okay?"

Cisco took a deep breath. "He... hurt me. A lot. They would... do bad things to me. Make me use my pow-ers a lot. It hurt. They... put things in me. It made my body hurt and now... I can't re-mem-ber things from be-fore. I re-mem-ber Dante, my bro-ther, and Hartley, from the... place. But these people... in photos... they have names I can't... remember."

Dick nodded at Cisco to continue, squeezing his hand in support.

"Home was... De-tr-oit. But not any-more. I moved... when I was young. I remember. To an-oth-er city. Something City. It had city in the name. There's a lab. Something lab. I can't re-mem-ber. It sucks. I want... to know their names. I miss them. Why don't you... hurt me like... He did?"

It was Dick's turn to take a deep breath. "Cisco, you're not here at Wayne Manor as a prisoner. You're here as a guest. We want to help you find your family and friends. We want you to remember. We want to help. We don't want to hurt you or do what Eiling did to you. We want you to get better, okay?"

Cisco processed what Dick had said before nodding. "Yes, Sir."

"And that's another thing," Dick added. "You can just call us by name. There are no "Sirs" here. We're all equal, okay?"

"Oh-kay," Cisco responded, giving Dick a small smile in return which was enough to light up his entire world.

* * *

Dr. Leslie Thompkins glared at the man as she struggled in the restraints that kept her in the hard wooden chair. "I won't tell you a damn thing."

"I know that, Doctor," the man responded, a cunning smile on his face. "But we could always ask others. That young son of Mr. Wayne's, what's his name again?"

"You leave them alone! I don't know where he went, okay? All I know is that Eiling is dead!"

"On the contrary," a new voice added. "I am more alive than ever."

Thompkins' eyes widened at the sight of Wade Eiling standing next to the man. 

"No, you're dead. I saw the news."

"The professor here is very... educated in reanimation. You would be surprised at what he could do. Now tell me, where is Vibe?"

Eiling leaned forward, inches away from Thompkins' face. She spat on him, smiling smugly at how he reacted.

"I'll never tell you anything, bastard."

Eiling didn't look amused. "Prep her. Soon you will tell me everything you know, _Doctor_."

* * *

Googling Dante Ramon came up with only one result:

A Facebook account.

"G-d, it's about time," Dick muttered as he clicked on the link. There had to be something here, he thought as he clicked on the photos, hoping to find one with Cisco to confirm the account's validity.

A lot of selfies, a lot of mirror pics, a lot of shirtless pics.

"C'mon, even Jason's Facebook isn't this bad," Dick muttered under his breath as he kept clicking through the images.

Finally, Dick found a photo from a year ago. It looked like a family Christmas photo at first glance, and the caption confirmed it. There was Dante, Cisco, and an older looking woman Dick assumed was their mother. The three were in front of a tree and all smiling, though it seemed a little forced. Nothing like the smiles Cisco had in the photos from his Instagram. 

**Feliz Navidad from the Ramons!**

Dick sent the photo to the printer and went back to Dante's profile to read his bio. No past education posted. Damn it. From Detroit, Michigan. Lives in Central City.

Something City.

Could this be the city Cisco was talking about? Granted, it was very possible that Cisco and his brother didn't live in the same city. They didn't seem that close. But Dick had to try anyway, right?

* * *

"Cisco! Wake up, wake up, wake up! It's Christmas!"

Cisco blinked his eyes open just in time to see Tim jump rapidly up and down on his bed.

"Tiii-m," Cisco said in a voice of fake-annoyment.

"C'mon, hurry up, we're gonna open presents and Alfred is gonna make breakfast it'll be so fun, _c'mon!"_

Tim jumped from the bed and onto the floor and ran out of Cisco's room, leaving the door open. Cisco sighed as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed and let them land on the cold flooring. He once again followed the sounds of voices. When he saw the sheer amount of gifts under the huge tree he almost had a heart attack. He had never seen so many presents before. 

"Cisco, hi, merry Christmas!" Dick said brightly, noticing that he had entered the room.

Everyone else chimed in with their "merry Christmases" even Damian and he didn't even sound resentful when he said it.

"Cisco, sit next to me, you have gifts to open!" Tim called out, proving his point by gesturing to a stack of gifts, all addressed to Cisco.

"For... me?" Cisco questioned, confused.

"Of course," Bruce confirmed a rare smile on his face. "We wouldn't leave you out, Cisco."

Cisco allowed Tim to gently take his hand and lead him over to his pile of gifts, encouraging him to start unwrapping them. Cisco carefully took a present on top of the pile in his hands and unwrapped it, knowing all eyes were on him as they did. It was a framed photograph that had him and two other people in it.

Dante, one of them was his brother, he was sure of it. The woman... Mama?

"Central City," Dick said in a soft voice.

"Yeah... home," Cisco replied, hugging the photo to his chest. "That's home."


	5. Tongues On the Sockets of Electric Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I hope you had a lovely holiday and got everything you wanted and more! Hanukkah was last week but I did get Cisco Ramon's Journal as a gift and that was pretty awesome! A very good read, I must say lol. I may not be able to update a ton this week because I'm going to visit my dad and he doesn't have WiFi. I'm not sure if I will even bring my laptop with me and I honest-to-G-d cannot type a chapter out on my phone. So, I'm sorry about that! But I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Also, this is short and I feel bad because the last chapter was so long but I'm gonna be honest I have writer's block so I hope you forgive me.

> "There is not a righteous man on Earth who does what is right and never sins."
> 
> _\- Ecclesiastes 7:20_

* * *

They may have known the city name now, but there were a lot of laboratories in Central City. Like, way more than there should be in a single city. But, Dick had complied a list of all the laboratories that operated in Central City and had slid it over towards Cisco a few days after Christmas as the two sat at the kitchen table.

"Any sound familiar?" Dick questioned, giving Cisco a comforting smile. 

He was getting better. Ever since Dick had found him in the Batcave's workshop trying to remember his past. Cisco was eating more, much to everyone's (especially Alfred) delight. He had gained a little weight back, but his clothes still hung off his frame. He wasn't calling anybody "Sir" anymore and his English was improving. He really only spoke in Spanish when he couldn't remember a word in English or if he had to say a lot at once. Long-winded speeches in English still took time to sound out and a lot of the time Cisco didn't have the patience for it. Cisco was also getting closer with the inhabitants of the Manor. Tim had gotten him a LEGO Star Wars Death Star for Christmas and Dick had found them putting it together in the library. Dick had also found Damien and Cisco reading together and despite Damien's claims that he didn't like Cisco, they sat on the same couch with their respective books. Jason was always watching TV with Cisco in the Manor's movie theater. Dick had caught them watching Star Trek once. Cisco was still a little nervous around Bruce, but he wasn't as jumpy as he had once been. Dick had been the one hanging out with Cisco the most, though. Cisco had opened up a little bit about what had happened to him while he was with Eiling and every story made Dick's blood boil.

How could anyone do such terrible things to another human being, let alone one who was as nice as Cisco. How could they electrocute him and burn him and cut him? The scars would never fade all the way. His skin would never heal to look as it did before. He wouldn't be the same man he had been before Eiling had taken him. He would always have these terrible memories. He was changed.

Cisco read the paper carefully.

"S.T.A.R. Laboratories."

* * *

They weren't used to getting phone calls on the official S.T.A.R. Labs phone, so when Harry answered, he was expecting it to be some sort of scam call.

"Hello?" he questioned, leaning against the desk with the receiver to his ears.

"Hi, yes, is this S.T.A.R. Laboratories?" a male voice asked.

"It is. May I ask what this is about?"

"I... Um. Cisco Ramon is here-"

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, no longer leaning against the desk, now standing at attention. Caitlin looked over from her office and joined Harry, a questioning look on her face.

"He's- _you_ want to talk to them? _Okay_ , here- Dick, he can speak for himself, G-d! Here, Cisco..."

There were sounds on the other end that Harry assumed was the phone switching users. He put the handset down and clicked the speakerphone button so everyone could hear. The ruckus had caused Barry and Iris to come into the cortex, interest on their face. Even Hartley was in the doorway, though he was pretending like he wasn't listening.

"Who is it?" Ralph asked, ignoring Iris' "shhh".

"Hell-o. My name is Cisco Ram-on," a small voice said from the speakers of the landline. Hartley was right next to the desk in an instant. 

"Cisco?" Barry asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Is... Hartley there?" Cisco asked, his voice sounding nervous.

"Cisco, it's me," Hartley said quickly, tears pouring down his face. "Cisco, hi."

"Hey, Hartley," Cisco replied. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, pal," Hartley smiled for the first time since Eiling had taken him. 

"I'm in... Go-tham. I've been here... a few weeks. I'm okay. Not hurt."

Hartley nodded his head. "Good, that's good, G-d, Cisco. I was so worried."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Cisco, where in Gotham are you, I'll come to get you," Barry said, fidgeting in place.

Cisco didn't reply for a minute and Barry at first thought he hadn't heard him. "Is... is it oh-kay if... Hartley..."

He didn't need to finish. Barry knew what he was saying. He couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed. Cisco was his best friend and he didn't want to see him. He wanted to see Hartley. Granted, Cisco and Hartley had gone through a lot of shit together and Barry understood that, but he still felt a bit hurt.

"Can you run with both of us, Barry?" Hartley questioned. Barry thought about it for a second before nodding. 

"I can make it work."

"Cisco, is it okay if I come along with Barry? Will that be okay?"

There was a bit of whispering on the other line as if people were discussing Hartley's idea.

"Yes."

"I'll see you soon, Cisco. Okay?"

"Oh-kay. I'm at Wayne Man-or."

Barry, already in his Flash suit, took Hartley by the arm and the two were off.

* * *

"They were right about you," Jason said from where he stood outside Wayne Manor with everyone else. "You're fucking fast."

Barry didn't reply. He looked over towards Cisco, wanting desperately to grab him in a tight hug, though he didn't think that would be the best idea. 

"Hey, Cisco," Hartley said in a soft voice, slowly walking towards Cisco as if he were a skittish baby deer. Cisco in response made up the distance between the two and tackled Hartley in a hug. Hartley hugged back. He could feel Cisco's tears on his shirt but he was pretty sure Cisco's shirt would be stained with his tears.

Dick smiled. He couldn't admit it, but he was tearing up a little at the reunion. He would be sad to see Cisco leave the Manor, but it was important that he returned to Central City to continue his healing.

Hartley and Cisco's hug ended. Cisco turned, tears still on his cheeks. "Thank you... for every-thing."

Bruce nodded. "We're always here if you need anything, no matter what. And I'm sure there will be visits to Central City from the boys."

Tim nodded. "Totally, I'll visit! I've never been! And I wanna see you!"

"Totally, man," Jason agreed.

"Well, you know I'll be there," Dick confirmed. 

Everyone looked at Damien expectedly. "I suppose a visit or two wouldn't hurt," he said, pretending not to care, not that anyone believed him.

"It was an honor having you as company, Master Cisco," Alfred said, giving the shorter man a rare smile.

"I'll... miss you all," Cisco said. He never thought he would be saying that. What had started out with him thinking this was just another Eiling situation had actually left him with new friends. They had helped him with healing and finding his way home and for that, he was very grateful.

"Bye, Cisco. Call me whenever you want, okay?" Dick said, surprised when Cisco gave him a hug in response.

Soon, he was gone and Dick couldn't help but feel empty with his absence like he had lost a brother.


	6. This Thing Called Love, I Just Can't Handle It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I'm back! I hope you guys have a happy new year! I watched the new Wonder Woman movie last night with my mom and it was pretty good. No spoilers, but I would say 3.5 stars out of 5. Anyway, here's a new chapter for you!
> 
> Enjoy!

> "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do."
> 
> - _Eleanor Roosevelt_

* * *

When Cisco came back to S.T.A.R. Labs he was immediately hugged by a woman he didn't recognize, which freaked him out.

"Cisco, you're home I'm so glad! We've missed you so much!"

Cisco didn't know how to react and his heart was beating faster and faster and it was becoming very hard to breathe and-

"Felicity, let him go, _now!"_

The hug stopped almost instantly and Cisco found himself backing into a wall with his arms wrapped around his torso in a protective manner. He let his body slide down into a sitting position and pulled his legs to his chest. They weren't going to hurt him. It was just a hug. Why the hell was he freaking out? This was so stupid, G-d he was so stupid-

"He needs time. He needs to initiate the touch, not the other way around," the voice who had told the woman hugging him to stop said. Cisco looked up for a second and he looked very familiar. Everyone looked so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. 

"I'm sorry, Oliver. I wasn't thinking," the woman- Felicity- said s+oftly. 

"Cisco, do you know where you are?" a new female voice asked. Cisco looked at her from behind his hair, which now hung in his face as a sort of shield.

"S.T.A.R. L-labs, Ma'am," Cisco answered, noticing the white medical coat she was wearing. Maybe she was nice like the other doctor lady. Or maybe she wanted to experiment on him too. Where was Hartley?

"Cisco, you don't have to call her ma'am," Hartley said and Cisco felt relief flush over him. Hartley was here. He was safe. If Hartley said it was safe, it was safe.

"Can you get up off the floor now?" Hartley asked, extending his hand towards Cisco, who took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, his hair still in his face.

"Wh-where's Dante?"

"Hermano?"

Cisco looked towards the entrance to see his older brother. He was here. He was here for him.

"Hermano!" Cisco cried, running over to Dante to give him a hug. Dante hugged back. It was tight and it made Cisco feel safe.

"Te extrañé," Cisco said into Dante's shoulder, tears streaming down his face and into his brother's sweatshirt. _I missed you._

"Yo también," Dante answered. _Me too._

* * *

Names were very hard. That's what Cisco was finding out, at least. He knew that deep down somewhere in his memory, he knew the names of the people with familiar faces, but he couldn't for the life of him remember. Not even when they told him a hundred times. The only names that were sticking in his brain were Dante and Hartley's. He knew it wasn't his fault that he couldn't recall their names, but he still felt bad when he blanked. The looks on their faces always stung.

"Cisco, I want to give you a check-up," a voice said from the entrance of his workshop. 

No one had been going into his workshop since he came back except Hartley because Cisco only invited him in. Even Dante wasn't allowed in, though he wasn't mad. He was just glad his little brother was home.

"I don't want one," Cisco said, his back still turned.

A sigh. "You need one."

"There is noth-ing wrong with me," Cisco said carefully, trading his screwdriver for a wrench. 

"We don't know that. We have to be sure. Please? Hartley and Dante can be there the entire time."

This was the team's current method of getting Cisco to do things. He was still wary of everyone, especially the doctor woman. She seemed different than the doctor but at the same time, they were very alike. Cisco wasn't sure about her, especially now since she wanted him to do a check-up. That meant tests and then after the tests, they would make him use his powers. He subconsciously rubbed the breach scars on his hands. He didn't want to do tests. The only tests he liked were the ones Dick had him do when he first came to the Manor. They were fun. Eiling's tests weren't fun and if they had a doctor then he doubted they would be doing the math and engineering tests.

"Oh-kay," Cisco sighed, knowing he wasn't going to win the argument. He stood, his eyes not meeting the doctor's as she led him to her office where all the doctor things were kept. There were lots of things in the room that could be used to hurt him and that made him nervous as he sat on the soft bench meant for patients. The one Eiling had was hard and metal. This one was nice, but Cisco didn't let that fool him one bit. Cisco looked over to see Hartley and Dante enter the doctor's office. They gave him supportive smiles and sat on either side of him in chairs provided by the doctor. Cisco could feel his heart start to calm down a bit.

"I'm going to listen to your heart now, okay? Can you remove your shirt?"

Cisco wanted to do anything but remove his shirt. They only ever wanted him to take his shirt off when they beat him. His hands shook as he grabbed the hem of the sweater and lifted it over his head, making two of the occupants of the room gasp.

"Cisco, what happened-"

"Oh, my G-d!"

Hartley took Cisco's hand in his own. "Cisco it's okay, just look at me, not them."

Cisco obeyed, looking into Hartley's eyes. He gave him a reassuring smile as he lightly squeezed Cisco's hand in his own. Cisco could feel his heartbeat return to normal as Hartley held his hand.

They both knew what had happened, of course. They knew why scars zig-zagged on Cisco's now too skinny back. They knew where the surgical cut from his bellybutton to his peck was from. They knew where the needle marks on his arms had come from. They knew about the burns. They knew where every mark had originated. They knew the memories and they would always know them far better than anyone else in S.T.A.R. Labs. 

The others could try and understand, and they would. But no one would get it quite as Cisco and Hartley did.

* * *

Barry knocked softly on the doorframe of Cisco's workshop, not wanting to frighten him. This Cisco was so different than the one he had known before he was kidnapped. He seemed smaller and almost younger. He was much thinner and even quieter. Usually, Cisco was cracking jokes and never shutting up, but now it was hard just to get him to answer a question verbally. He was more withdrawn as well, only really trusting his brother and Hartley. Barry got that. Dante was Cisco's older brother and even though they had had a rocky relationship in the past, they were still family. Hartley had gone through the same things Cisco had and they had a sort of shared survivor's guilt. Barry just wished Cisco remembered him. Hartley had told them about the experimental drugs they had shot into Cisco and it seemed one was affecting his memory and speech. It had also caused physical discomfort as well, but that side-effect had seemed to subside. Caitlin wanted to run a blood test but at the sight of a needle Cisco had shot out a sonic blast. Luckily no one was harmed, but they were still repairing some of Caitlin's medical equipment.

"Can I come in, Cisco?"

Barry couldn't see Cisco's face since his back was turned to him, but he saw his head nod. Barry took that as an invitation and walked in, being careful to keep his distance. He craned his neck a bit to see what Cisco was working on. It was a LEGO rocket ship set. Cisco was sorting the pieces by color and function. Barry couldn't help but smile at that.

"How're you doing?" Barry asked, sitting in a chair off to the side of Cisco's desk.

Cisco didn't say anything. He just kept sorting LEGOs.

Barry sighed but continued. "That's a cool LEGO set. Where'd you get it?"

"Dick gave it to me for Ch-Christmas, Sir," Cisco's small voice said, not looking up. Barry frowned at the 'Sir' but considered that progress anyway.

"That was nice of him. You know, you have some more Christmas gifts. You weren't here for Christmas, but we still got you gifts. They're at Joe's house. Do you remember Joe?"

Cisco seemed to be thinking for a moment before he shook his head.

"Well, that's okay. We could all go there and have dinner one night. You could open your gifts. Does that sound fun?"

"Yes, Sir," Cisco said, his hands fidgeting with an orange LEGO as he spoke.

"You don't have to call anyone here 'Sir' or 'Ma'am'. This is your home, Cisco. We're your family."

Cisco didn't respond immediately and Barry thought for a moment he was ignoring him.

"It's... different. I'm not u-used to it. I know it was norm-al in the past, but now every-thing is strange. I know I am home, but home is... it looks like the fa-cil-ity sometimes. It's hard. I don't re-mem-ber. I'm sorry." 

Silent tears fell down Cisco's face and Barry's heart broke. "Cisco, can I hug you?"

Cisco nodded rapidly and the two embraced.


	7. These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am tired and addicted to putting LEGO kits together. someone save me lmao

> "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness but of power. They are messengers of overwhelming grief and of unspeakable love."
> 
> _\- Washington Irving_

* * *

Dr. Leslie Thompkins didn't look up when the door of the room she was in opened. She already knew who would be on the other side of it. It was General Eiling, as it always was. 

"Get up," he ordered, not moving from the doorway.

Dr. Thompkins said nothing but forced her arms to push against the cement flooring and her legs to hold her body weight with the least amount of trembling as she could muster. Her hair was in her face and was terribly messy. She had lost her one hair tie almost two weeks ago so now her long greying hair flowed in any way it seemed fit. Her clothes were the same scrubs she had worn to work the day they had taken her after Nightwing and Red Hood rescued Vibe. That had been so long ago. It was hard to keep track of the days while in this place. She suddenly realized that this must have been how all of the Metas felt. She wanted to cry just thinking about them.

"What do you want now?" she asked, pushing Eiling's hand away from where he tried to place it on her arm to lead her down the corridor.

"I don't want anything."

She didn’t bother asking what he meant by that. The two silently continued walking down the halls. Dr. Thompkins shivered as they walked. Why was it always so cold in this place?

Finally, they seemed to reach their destination; two double doors that resembled those you would see leading to an operating room. Eiling pushed them open and Dr. Thompkins looked around the room to try and get a hint of what was in store for her.

"I already told you I don't know where Vibe is," she stated to the seemingly empty room.

"Yes, you did. But you're lying," a new voice said.

Dr. Thompkins squinted in the darkness to try and see the voice's owner. Soon enough though, he stepped out of the shadows.

"Professor Strange. I should have known it would be you," Dr. Thompkins said, glaring at the man.

"Guilty as charged. Now, tell me where Vibe is. And don't lie this time. Because it won't end well for you," Professor Strange spoke menacingly, a large knife in his hand just waiting to be used.

* * *

When S.T.A.R. Lab’s emergency siren sounded, Cisco jumped so much in his seat that it almost tipped over. The LEGO creation he was holding had fallen on to his desk, breaking apart slightly when it landed on the hard wood. There was a burst of lightning that shot past the door to his workshop and he quickly regained his senses, running towards the room with the comms to see what was going on.

“What is it?” Barry asked, looking at the screen.

“Robbery at Central City General,” Caitlin informed him, typing furiously on the computer’s keyboard.

"On it," Barry said, quickly changing into his Flash uniform and running off towards Central City General. Cisco stood by the doorway, watching as Caitlin and Harry covered the comms. He had done that before, hadn't he? He remembered sitting there while Barry was out in the field. Barry... yeah, Barry was the Flash and one of his best friends. He was in a coma for a while and then he woke up with superpowers. Hadn't he helped people too? With his powers?

It had been a long time for Cisco since he used his powers to help people or at least people who deserved help. He had begun to associate his powers with evil and Eiling, but if he really thought about it, they weren't bad. Eiling and the others at the facility were bad. Cisco wasn't bad. He wasn't evil and nor were his powers. His eyes looked down towards his scarred hands and he felt a new feeling of determination wash over him. He retreated back to his workshop to find something he needed.

* * *

Barry sped into Central City General, his eyes darting around to locate the threat. It was two men wearing all black with ski masks to match, duffel bags in their hands. How cliche.

"Give it up, guys," Barry said, hearing the approaching sound of police sirens. "CCPD are on their way. And you can't outrun me."

That didn't seem to stop the masked individuals as they ran opposites ways, forcing Barry to choose. He cursed under his breath.

"Go right, Barry," Caitlin said in his ear. He nodded, though she couldn't see him, and ran left to catch the robber. He was in the process of climbing out of the fire escape when Barry grabbed him by the ankle, pulling him back into the building.

"Stealing from a hospital? That's a new low," Barry said, cuffing the guy. "Now I gotta go take care of your buddy-"

"Not necessary," someone said from behind Barry. He turned, not expecting to see who he saw.

A fresh breach was still open from where he had appeared and he had indeed apprehended the other robber, pushing him in front of him. His glasses glowed their classic blue and his uniform looked just like it had the last time Barry had seen it.

"Vibe," Barry said, smiling. "You're back."

Cisco shrugged, looking down at his sneakers as he pushed a piece of hair out of his face. "You could say that."

* * *

"Cisco what the hell were you thinking?" Hartley demanded when the two Metas returned to S.T.A.R. Labs after allowing the CCPD to take the two robbers into custody. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

Cisco didn't seem to be listening to what Hartley was saying as he walked over to where he usually sat in the comms room and removed his gauntlets and glasses, placing them on the desk.

"Cisco, are you listening? What was that?"

There was a sigh from the engineer. "I wanted to help."

"You don't have to dress in ridiculous clothing to help," Hartley argued.

 _"Hey!"_ Barry said pointedly, but Hartley ignored him.

"My powers aren't evil," Cisco said as if it was common knowledge.

"Well, yeah, of course not-"

"Eiling," Cisco took a deep breath. It was hard to say his name out loud. "Eiling is evil and what he did to me and to you is evil. But my powers aren't. I remembered. Vibe used to help people. He was a hero before Eiling took me and used me. People need Vibe."

Hartley shut up after that, seeming to be thinking about what Cisco had said. Everyone was thinking about what Cisco had said, really. He was right, of course. What Eiling did to him was horrible but that didn't make him evil. That was obvious, of course, but since Cisco had come back from being kidnapped because of his powers, it was hard not to blame Vibe for the whole ordeal.

"Cisco, if you think you're ready to get out into the field, that's great. But don't feel like you have to," Barry said. 

"I have to keep people safe. So they don't go through what I had to," Cisco said a small smile on his face. "No one should have to go through that."

* * *

"How could you have failed?!" Professor Hugo Strange demanded, his glasses almost falling off his face in his rage.

"The Flash, sir! The Flash was there!"

"The Flash is one man-"

"Sir, Vibe was there too-"

Strange grabbed the man's throat, choking him. "You had Vibe right there and did nothing?!"

The man struggled until Strange dropped him, letting him fall harshly to the floor.

"We need Vibe and you let him get away."

"Sir, I'm sorry, it won't happen again!"

"No," Strange said, cocking his pistol. "It won't."


	8. I'ma Hit You Back In a Minute, I Don't Play Tag, Bitch I Been It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! next monday spring semester starts which means i won't have as much time to write and i apologize for that! but also i may get this fic finished up before that so you guys don't have to worry. but i am working on a new cisco fic if you want to check that out. the first chapter is up. i also have some cisco one-shots planned so look forward to that as well :)
> 
> on with the chapter!!!

> "The bitter pill I swallow  
> The scars souvenir  
> That tattoo, your last bruise  
> This impossible year"
> 
> _\- Panic! At the Disco, Impossible Year_

* * *

Dr. Thompkins looked up from where she was tied down to a chair. Strange and two of his guards had entered the room and she began to pull on her restraints.

"Great news, Doctor," Strange said with a wicked smile on his face. "We no longer need you to tell us where Vibe is."

Her blood ran cold at the news. "No-"

"Yes, we found him. Some of my men were stealing some much needed medical equipment from Central City General and they ran into him. So it looks like you're not needed anymore."

"So," she licked her dry lips. "You're going to let me go?"

Strange laughed. "Oh, Doctor. Even you aren't that stupid."

He pulled a pistol out from his suit jacket and shot her in the head three times, passing the gun off to one of his guards after he was finished.

"We're going to Central City. Find the Flash and you find Vibe, right?"

"Right," Eiling said from the corner of the dark room, his arms crossed against his chest. "And I know how to find the Flash."

* * *

This was a stupid idea. 

"It's not a stupid idea," Cisco said as if he could read Dante's mind which, come to think of it, could Cisco read minds? Dante didn't know.

"It is," Dante disagreed as the two approached the front door. "How can I see that this is a bad idea and you can't?"

Cisco shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe it really isn't a bad idea and you're just over-reacting. You ever think about that?"

"No," Dante said, knocking on the door. "Because I'm always right."

"You're never right."

"I'm the big brother which means I'm always right."

"You watch too much _Supernatural_ , _hermano_ ," Cisco joked as the front door opened.

"Dante, _mijo_ , come in-"

Mrs. Ramon paused at the sight of her youngest son, her smile freezing on her face. "Francisco?"

"Yeah, hi Mama," he said, giving his mother an awkward wave.

The three stood there for an uncomfortable few seconds before Dante initiated an entry and Mrs. Ramon side-stepped to let her sons into the house.

"Your father is still at work. He'll be home soon," she said, still staring at Cisco as if he weren't real.

"Mama, stop staring at Cisco," Dante said, feeling uncomfortable for Cisco, who didn't seem to mind all that much. He was busy looking around the living room as if he hadn't spent fifteen years living in the house.

"I'm not- Dante, can I speak with you in the kitchen, _por favor?"_

Dante looked over towards Cisco nervously, but the younger Ramon brother didn't seem to notice. He nodded and allowed his mother to lead him to the kitchen.

"What is he doing here?" 

"What do you mean? He's your _son!"_

Mrs. Ramon shook her head as she began to stir something in a bowl that had been abandoned when the Ramon brothers had arrived. "I know that! He just never comes over. He wasn't here for Christmas and then he just shows up? Uninvited?"

Dante sucked in a breath. He hadn't told her Cisco had been kidnapped. He had made up some excuse that Cisco was swamped at work and couldn't make it. Sure, it had hurt his family to no end, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell them the truth. That Dante didn't know if his brother was dead or alive. He couldn't hurt his parents like that.

"I Invited and him and, well, he's here now. Okay?"

Mrs. Ramon looked like she was thinking about it as she stirred the mixture. "Fine."

Dante took that as a good sign and smiled at his mother before joining Cisco in the living room.

"Hey," he said, his eyes landing on his brother who stood at the piano which held a lot of framed photos, most of Dante at recitals and his old school pictures.

"I remember this," Cisco said, showing Dante the photo he had in his hands. "You played at Carnegie Hall. It was really cool. I wanted to go to the planetarium while we were still in New York but Mama said no."

Dante felt his heart crack a bit. He never really noticed how much shit Cisco had gone through during their childhood. Dante was so obviously the favorite that it sometimes clouded his vision of reality. He had always gotten what he wanted while Cisco was left to fend for himself a lot. It didn't help that Dante was also a huge asshole about it. His brain thought of all the times he had seen Cisco at his recitals and then of all the times he had come to Cisco's science fairs or robotics meets. Maybe one, and that was because Cisco needed a ride home after because their parents weren't going to show up. They never showed up. He thought of the time Cisco's team had won first place, which was a huge deal since they got a trophy and a scholarship for college, and Dante had told him to shut up about it so he could practice his scales. He wished he could go back in time and change everything. Be a better brother, the one that Cisco deserved.

"Cisco, I'm sorry," Dante said, placing the photo back on the piano's top.

"For what?" Cisco asked, confused. He looked up at his brother like an innocent child, which just made Dante's heart break more.

"For everything," Dante said, holding his arms out for a hug. Cisco nodded and hugged Dante.

"I'll take you to New York and we'll go to the planetarium and all the science museums. I promise."

Dante could feel Cisco smile into his shirt. "Really?"

"Really really."

The front door opened, causing Cisco to jump a bit at the noise. The hug broke up and the brothers looked towards the newcomer.

"Francisco, what are you doing here?" Mr. Ramon asked as he hung his briefcase up on its hook.

"Dinner?" Cisco answered though it was more of an uncertain question.

"Yeah, but you weren't here for Christmas. It broke your mother's heart, you know."

Cisco looked at his father, confused. "I wasn't here for Christmas because I was-"

"He was working," Dante quickly interrupted, ignoring the questioning look Cisco gave him. "But he feels so bad and he's here now."

Mr. Ramon didn't look like he was buying it, but grunted in response anyway and went to the kitchen to greet his wife.

"Dante, what was that-"

"C'mon, let's go upstairs and talk," Dante said. Cisco nodded and followed his brother up the stairs and into Cisco's childhood bedroom, closing the door behind them.

At that exact moment, Cisco got a Vibe.

* * *

_It was a teenage Cisco, about sixteen, sitting at the desk, the lamp on and positioned over whatever he was working on. Cisco walked closer and saw that it was a LEGO Tie-Fighter. He smiled._

_"Mija, time for school!" Dante's voice called out. Cisco saw his past-self tense at the nickname, but he put down the LEGOs, neatly stacking them back into their color-coded case._

_"Coming," he grumbled, slipping off the chair and going for his backpack, which was packed full. He watched as he left the bedroom and Cisco followed._

_Dante stood at the bottom of the stairs with his car keys in his hand and he tapped his foot impatiently. "Hurry up!"_

_"I am!" Past Cisco argued as he got to the bottom of the stairs. He saw himself start to walk out the door but Dante tripped him, sending him to the ground where he hit his knee hard against the floor. He held his leg and rubbed his sore knee through his worn jeans._

_"Francisco be more careful, you could have hurt your brother," came his mother's voice from the living room._

* * *

"Cisco? Hey, dude-"

Cisco blinked his eyes rapidly as the Vibe ended. "Sorry, I had a... a thing."

Dante nodded, though he still looked confused. "Okay... Look. You can't tell Mama and Papa the truth about Christmas."

"What'd you mean?" Cisco asked, sitting down on his old bed and feeling the familiarity of the bedspread.

Dante sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I may have not told them about what happened to you."

Cisco looked up. "Why?"

"I don't know! I didn't think they could handle it!"

"So you just let them believe that I was a terrible son who couldn't even show up for the holidays? I was... G-d, Dante."

"I'm sorry!"

Cisco shook his head, looking down at his feet. "It's... fine. I won't tell them."

Dante let out the breath he hadn't even realized he had been keeping. "Cisco-"

Cisco put his hand up to stop Dante. "Don't."

The eldest Ramon brother nodded, feeling guilt rise in his chest. No, this whole thing was definitely a bad idea. They shouldn't have come here, it was a mistake.

"Dante, I get it."

He looked over at where his younger brother sat. In his childhood bedroom, he looked so young. The shelves full of trophies and completed LEGO sets mixed with Cisco's old Star Trek and Periodic Table of Elements posters and his old Star Wars action figures that he hadn't taken with him when he moved out. Just seeing it again resurfaced his wish to turn back time and make things right.

"Boys! Dinner!" came their mother's call from the bottom of the stairs. Dante gave Cisco a reassuring smile and walked to the door, opening it and waving his hand in an _after you_ manner. Cisco smiled back and tugged at his sweater sleeves as he left the room, Dante close behind him.

"I made Pasteles for dinner," Mrs. Ramon said as she set the table, Mr. Ramon already sitting in his spot at the head of the table. "Flan for dessert. I know it's your favorite, Dante."

Dante didn't reply, only took his seat at the other end of the table across from his father. Cisco looked around awkwardly before Dante nodded at him to take the seat next to him, across from Mrs. Ramon's chair.

"So. Work on Christmas, huh?" their father said, staring at his youngest son, who squirmed a bit under his gaze. "Do you ever get any time off from that boss of yours?"

Cisco began to twirl the loose thread on his sweater nervously. "I guess not."

"I just don't understand-"

"Papa, drop it, please!" Dante said desperately. Mr. Ramon looked like he wanted to push the subject but he didn't. Mrs. Ramon came out with the last dish and placed it on the table, taking her seat. She couldn't help but stare at her youngest as he fidgeted in his seat under his family's gaze.

"Francisco, pass the salt, please."

Cisco reacted to his name and reached for the salt shaker, passing it to his mother across the table. His sweater sleeve rolled up as he stretched his arm out and the start of his numbered brand could be seen.

" _Francisco_ what is that?!" Mr.s Ramon demanded. Cisco dropped the salt shaker like it had burned him and he quickly pulled his arm back, grabbing his wrist with his other hand.

"I'm... I'm sorry!" Cisco squeaked, standing from the table and running up the stairs. Dante stood, giving his family a dirty look as he quickly followed his brother. His bedroom door was closed and Dante sighed, leaning against the wall next to it. 

"Cisco... it's me. Can I come in?"

There was no response. Dante slid his back down the wall to a sitting position, letting his legs stretch out in front of him.

"Cisco, they didn't mean it. Look, we can leave if you want. We can get take-out and go back to S.T.A.R. Labs if you want."

On the other side of the door, Cisco sat, his knees pulled up tightly to his chest and his chin resting on top of his knees. Dante had been right. This was a dumb idea. He should have never come. His parents didn't like him, that was obvious. He rested his head against the wall and was thrown into another Vibe.

* * *

_"Franciso I am very disappointed in you!"_

_Cisco looked at the scene in front of him. His father was standing over where young him sat on his bed, looking down at his hands that were clasped in his lap._

_"You should have been there for your brother!"_

_"Papa, it was important! I'd been working on my science project for months. I won first place! I won a scholarship! U of M was there! They really want me!"_

_His father didn't seem to care that much. "This was an important night for your brother! All you think about is yourself!"_

_"It wasn't even that major of a recital-"_

_Cisco's words were stopped by a slap to the face from his father._

_"Do not talk back to me! You will apologize to your brother and help him with whatever he needs until his next recital. And you will be at that one or mark my words Francisco Ramon, you'll be in a world of pain."_

_Young Cisco sniffled lightly, holding his hand to his now-red cheek._

_"And you can forget about college. We don't have enough money to send you both."_

_The door closed behind his father and young Cisco finally burst into tears, curling his body upon his bed as he sobbed, the first place science fair trophy forgotten on the end of the mattress._

* * *

"They never liked me, Dante," Cisco said softly. 

"Cisco, can I come in?"

Cisco reached for the doorknob and twisted it, inviting Dante in, who came in, closing the door behind him. He sat next to Cisco, wiping away the stray tears that fell down his little brother's cheeks.

"They like you, Cisco-"

"No, they don't."

Dante sighed. He didn't really have any evidence that Cisco was wrong. Their parents had never told Cisco how proud they were of him. They had never congratulated him on his accomplishments or hung his straight-A report cards on the fridge. It was always about Dante and it was obvious that that hadn't changed.

"Well, fuck them, then."

Cisco looked at his brother in shock. "Dante-"

"No, seriously, fuck them. If they can't see how great you are then fuck them."

Dante stood and offered his hand to Cisco, who took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"We're going to that Thai place you like and tomorrow we're going to the science museum. Okay?"

Cisco smiled, wiping the tears from his face. "Okay."


	9. All Hell Breaks Loose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! how are you? i hope you're all doing amazing! i have a new cisco one-shot up if you'd like to read that :)  
> anyway, here's the new chapter for y'all! enjoy!!!

> "The past cannot be cured."
> 
> _\- Queen Elizabeth I_

* * *

Dante had kept his word about the science museum. Well, Cisco assumed that was the reason he was being shaken awake at nine in the morning from his bed at S.T.A.R. Labs. 

Cisco was aware of the existence of his apartment but there was still a part of him that felt like it wasn't his. Of course the apartment was his, it was rented out to Francisco Ramon and that was indeed him, but it almost felt like it was someone else's home. It was Cisco's from the past and he was struggling with reconnecting with that version of himself. It was like he was an entirely different person. So much had changed with him.

So, Cisco had decided to stay in the room he had used as a sort of personal bedroom for when he stayed overnight at the lab while working on projects. It was a nice little room with a bed that he had stolen from the medical unit and had furnished with lots of pillows and soft blankets. There was an IKEA dresser filled with Cisco's clothes for when he did stay the night and needed a change. There was a bathroom with one of the emergency showers connected (that was one of the main reasons Cisco had chose that room, that and it's closeness to his workshop) so he could shower before a new day. There was also a mini fridge, hotplate, and coffee machine. It was essentially a dorm room, Barry had pointed out a long time ago when he had come across the room for the first time. 

" _Hermano_ , wakey wakey!"

Cisco opened one eye and then proceeded to roll over to turn his back to his brother.

"Cisco, c'mon, we're going to the science museum, you gotta get up!"

At the mention of the science museum Cisco turned over again, both eyes open this time.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like that. We're gonna go get breakfast and then we'll go to the museum! I bought tickets for the planetarium show too!"

Cisco pushed back his blankets and swung his feet out of bed, letting them dangle off the side of the bedframe.

"Get dressed, I'll meet you out in the hallway when you're ready, okay?"

"Okay," Cisco said, yawning and streaching his arms out above his head. He smiled to himself as he pushed his feet to the ground, standing to go pick out an outfit for the day. Last night had been pretty terrible. The Ramon brothers had left right after the whole brand debocale, which Cisco was relieved about. Their mother had asked questions but Dante hadn't answered any of them and Cisco was still in a state of shock so he couldn't even if he had wanted to. Dante had felt like the whole thing was his fault but Cisco had reassured him that it wasn't. Cisco wasn't sure his brother believed him but he hoped he did.

Cisco decided on a pair of black jeans and his NASA shirt, since they were going to the science museum. He slipped on hid Converse and put his winter jacket on, leaving the room and walking into the hallway, where Dante was talking with Harry.

"Have fun at the museum," Harry said with one of his rare smiles. Cisco nodded, not making eye contact. Some relationships were still being worked on. Harry didn't seem to mind though. He was understanding.

"Museum? Why'd you want to go to a museum?" A new voice entered the conversation. It was Ralph making his way down the hallway to the cortex, coffees in hand.

"I like museums," Cisco said in a soft voice, still not looking up. He felt like a small child and it was making his face go red.

"That's because you're a nerd," Hartley said.

Cisco knew that this was how the two of them used to interact. He had to keep reminding himself these things and it was difficult. He felt like he was a Starfleet officer on an alien planet. No, like a Starfleet officer who happened to be the only Red Shirt going down with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to an alien planet. At least he remembered Star Trek, he though warrily.

"Yeah, I probably am," Cisco said simply.

"That's not a bad thing," Harry said, giving Ralph a pointed glare that the man ignored.

"No, I know that!" Cisco assured the taller man, finally looking up. He smiled at Harry, which seemed to make him look less tense and less likely to punch Ralph in the face.

"We should get going. Breakfast awaits, right _hermano?"_ Dante nudged Cisco playfully with his elbow.

"Yeah, of course," Cisco said, smiling.

"We'll leave you to it. Have fun. You deserve it," Harry said with one last smile, grabbing Ralph by the arm and pulling him in the direction of the cortex, much to Ralph's complaint about Harry wrinkling his shirt.

* * *

The dinner was one that Cisco remembered faintly. It looked like any old dinner but for some reason Cisco felt as if it were special. Dante caught him looking around as the waitress seated them and he chuckled.

"We used to come here a lot after my recitals. Remember?"

Cisco shrugged as he sat, folding his hands on the table. His vision turned blue. It looked like he was going to remember whether he liked it or not.

* * *

_"We're so proud of you, Dante," Mrs. Ramon said, smiling at him from across the booth. Their father was next to her, also smiling._

_Dante sat on the end of the booth, leaving a thirteen-year-old Cisco by the window, which he was currently looking out._

_"Thanks guys," Dante said, a huge smile on his face as he fingered the third place ribbon in his hands. "It isn't first, but I'm okay with that."_

_"I got first at my science fair last fall and we didn't go out to eat," young Cisco mumbled mostly to himself._

_"Maybe if you would have told us about the science fair we would have taken you out," Mr. Ramon argued, obviously hearing his youngest._

_"I did. Like ten times."_

_No one replied because the waitress had arrived to take their orders._

_"Can I get a milkshake to drink?" Dante asked eagerly._

_"You can get whatever you want, kiddo," Mr. Ramon said._

_The waitress wrote down strawberry milkshake, water, and coffee on her notepad before she looked up, smiling at Cisco. "And what about you, hon?"_

_"Can I have an orange soda, please?" Cisco asked._

_"Francisco, it's a little late in the afternoon for sugar," Mrs. Ramon said as if her other son had not just ordered a milkshake._

_The waitress tensed, looking at the youngest Ramon in a sad way._

_"Um..." Cisco face turned bright red. "Just water, then. Thank you."_

_"Alrighty," the waitress said, closing her notebook and going to get their drinks._

_"What do you want to eat?" Dante asked, turning to Cisco. He had a habit to try and make things less awkward when Cisco and their parents butted heads._

_"Blueberry panckaes," Cisco said._

_"That's a breakfast food."_

_"So? Mama, can I get pancakes?"_

_"Yeah sure," she said distractidly, looking down at her own menu._

_The waitress came back with a strawberry milkshake, water, coffee, and orange soda. Mrs. Ramon didn't even notice._

_"So, what are we eating today, folks?" the waitress asked, giving Cisco a wink._

* * *

"Did you just have a... _a thing?"_ Dante asked when the Vibe ended.

Cisco nodded. "Why, did I miss something?"

"Not really. I mean, the waitress thinks you're kinda crazy now since when she asked you what you wanted to drink you just stared into space. I ordered you coffee."

"Okay, yeah that works. Sorry."

"Hey, it's fine, dude, really," Dante said, patting his brother's hand gently with a smile. Cisco smiled back.

"So, what'd you want to eat?"

"Blueberry pancakes," Cisco said, not even looking at his menu.

* * *

The museum wasn't very busy when they got there, mainly because it was so early and it was a weekday. There was a school field trip going on which made Cisco smile. He thought back to when he had gone on his school field trip to the museum. As he waited for Dante to get their tickets he leaned against the wall by the drinking fountain. He was thrown into another Vibe.

* * *

_"This is stupid! I wish we would have gone to an amusement park," a blonde kid said to a red head girl._

_"Yeah. I mean, they have science there, right? We could have learned about moving objects or whatever."_

_"I like the science museum," a new voice piped up. Cisco looked over at its owner._

_"Shut up Cisco, no one cares what you like, gaylord," the blonde boy said._

_"Yeah, you're a nerd. That's why you like the museum."_

_Young Cisco ignored the two students though he did look a bit crestfallen at their replies. Cisco furrowed his brow at the scene. He hadn't remembered that. Why hadn't he remembered that? Probably because things like that happened all the time._

_"Hey, don't listen to them. I like the science museum too!" a boy said. Young Cisco turned at the voice._

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah," the boy said, smiling as he got closer to young Cisco. "My favorite part was the interactive chemistry lab! What was yours?"_

_"I liked the engineering section," Cisco admitted to the boy. "I've never seen you before, are you in this class?"_

_The other boy shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm in Mr. Walters' class but I'm ahead in the unit and he said I could come along on Mrs. Brooke's field trip. My name's Barry! Barry Allen! Nice to meet you!"_

_He held out his hand and young Cisco took it, shaking._

_"Hi! I'm Cisco Ramon!"_

_Present Cisco smiled at the scene as it ended._

* * *

"All set, ready to go?" Dante said, walking over with the tickets displayed proudly in his hand.

"Totally," Cisco said, the memory of the Vibe still on his mind.

"Well let's go! Planetarium show is at one, so we have some time to kill."

Dante held out his hand for Cisco to take, which he did, smiling. The Ramon brothers began to walk to the first exhibit. Dante looked over towards his brother to see the smile on his face. He hadn't seen Cisco smile so wide in a long time and he was glad he was able to be the one that made that smile possible. It had taken too long to realize just how great his little brother was. He regretted never standing up to their parents when they talked down to Cisco. He deserved so much more.

"Dante, thanks for this. It means a lot," Cisco said, breaking Dante out of his thoughts.

The eldest brother beamed. "No problem. Anything for you."

"Aww, what a sweet sentiment. Too bad it ends here."

The Ramons turned, their hands breaking apart. Cisco froze in fear at the man before him.

"Time to go home, Vibe," Eiling said, gun aimed at Dante. "Or big brother pays the price."

Dante locked eyes with Cisco as he reached his hand into his sweatshirt pocket and set off the S.T.A.R. Labs alarm that had been installed shortly after Cisco went missing.

* * *

Barry heard the sound of the alarm from the cortex and sped over to the computers. Central City Museum of Science and Technology. That was where Dante and Cisco were!

"Barry, be careful!" Caitlin called as she went to the comms. Barry didn't reply but his Flash suit was gone and all he had left in his wake was lightning and papers flying around.

"What is it, what's going on?" Hartley asked, stepping into the cortex to look at the computers tracking the location of the alarm and Barry.

"Dante's alarm went off at the science museum," Caitlin explained, hardly noticing that Ralph and Harry had made their way into the room.

"Shit! I'm going-"

"Hartley, sit down. Barry's got it covered. By the time you even get there it'll be over."

Hartley looked like he wanted to argue but he sat down anyway, leaning in towards the computer to watch the GPS footage.

"He'll be okay."

* * *

Barry arrived, putting himself in between the Ramons and the man with the gun. It took Barry a moment to even process who it was.

"Eiling? I thought you were-"

"Dead?" the general finished, a smirk on his face. "It didn't take."

"Well, this time you'll be going to prison," Barry said, giving Cisco a reassuring smile, though it didn't seem to help. He still looked terrified, even with Barry and Dante standing in between him and Eiling. Barry couldn't blame him.

"No, that won't do. See, I still need it," Eiling gestered towards Cisco withhis gun. "I'm not leaving without it."

"Cisco is not an it he is a human!" Dante yelled, anger filling up inside of him.

"Give it up, Eiling. You're outmatched," Barry said.

"Oh, just wait one moment."

Barry furrowed his brow but he soon understood what Eiling meant. About a dozen masked men burst through the museum's main doors, guns in hand. 

"Dante, get him out of here!" Barry yelled.

Dante nodded, pulling Cisco with him as he ran down the corridor towards the animal kingdom exibit. Barry went to work quickly taking down the criminals. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Eiling run towards where Dante and Cisco had gone. He threw a lightning punch at Eiling but it missed.

"C'mon, this way," Dante said, taking a turn at the fish portion. 

Cisco said nothing, his heart beating rapidly. This was all his fault. Why was he so cursed? Why did everything bad have to happen to him?

The Ramons reached a stage area with a projector screen playing a documentary on marine life. Dante pushed Cisco behind the curtains just as Eiling came into the room.

"You're not match for me, boy," Eiling said, gun pointed right at Dante's head. "I will kill you."

"You're not gonna take my brother again, you bitch!"

"No, Dante, don't!" Cisco squeaked, stepping out from behind the curtains. "I can't lose you!"

"Cisco, get back, _now!"_ Dante said, his eyes desperately begging his brother to stay away.

"Come with me, Vibe, and I won't hurt your brother."

Cisco could feel tears running down his face. This was his worst nightmare. He didn't want to go back with Eiling. He rather die. He looked towards Dante.

 _"Lo siento, hermano,"_ Cisco whispered.

"Cisco, don't you _fucking_ dare-"

Eiling hit Dante over the head with the muzzle of his gun.

"Wait, you said you won't hurt him!" Cisco said, jumping when Eiling wrapped his hand tightly around Cisco's wrist.

"No, I said I wouldn't kill him. And I didn't it. Now, use your powers to get us out to the parking lot or I really will kill him."

"Please, you... you don't have-"

Eiling punched Cisco in the face with his free hand. _"Now."_

Cisco nodded, the tears still falling. Barry entered the room.

"Wait, Cisco-"

Cisco looked back, sobbing. He breached himself and Eiling out of the room. 

"No!"

Barry rushed towards the breach by it closed before he could go through.

He had let Cisco be kidnapped once again.


	10. Yeah, I Think About the End Just Way Too Much, but it's Fun To Fantasize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg i know i'm so sorry i'm evil!!!  
> the fic will be ending soon and i don't plan on a third one but you never know, i may keep the story going in the future. I'm thinking this chapter and then like only one or two more. i will continue to write cisco fics tho, so don't worry about that my friends!  
> oh, also, i kinda wanted to do a thing for this series where at the end i post some art that i did of some scenes from the fics and i was wondering if anyone wanted to contribute. like, you DO NOT have to be the greatest artist in the world okay my art is not very good, but if there is anyone who wants to send me some of their art of anything from the series LET ME KNOW and I'll give you my email :) it would mean the world to me tbh   
> okokok let's get on with the chapter! i know it's short I'm sorry!!!  
> enjoy!

> "Don't wanna call you in the nighttime  
> Don't wanna give you all my pieces  
> Don't wanna hand you all my trouble  
> Don't wanna give you all my demons  
> You'll have to watch me struggle  
> From several rooms away  
> But tonight I'll need you to stay"
> 
> _\- Twenty One Pilots, The Run and Go_

* * *

Cisco tugged warily at the cuffs around his wrists. There was a chain that connected to the handcuffs that latched onto the bars of the cage Cisco was currently in. Yeah, it was an actual cage, only about five feet by five feet making him feel very claustrophobic. Cisco pulled and pulled on the chain but all he had gotten from his efforts were more burns on his wrists. a Meta dampening collar was around his throat so he couldn't even sonic blast the wall and breach out. He sighed, his hair falling into his face as he gave up, laying his head against the barred walls, his knees pulled up to his chest. This wasn't supposed to happen. Eiling had died. Cisco had been there, he had seen it. How the hell was he still alive? Were there Metas that could bring people back from the dead and if so, did Eiling have one? All the questions made Cisco's head ache. 

He wanted to go home. He had thought this was all over, that he would never have to think about Eiling ever again. Damn him and his rotten luck. Though, what was it they said? If there were no bad luck, we wouldn't have luck at all. Yeah, something like that. The room the cage was in and Cisco shivered. They had taken his jacket, shoes, and socks, leaving him in just his jeans and T-shirt. He couldn't tell if the shaking of his body was mostly from fear or coldness. He didn't suppose it mattered.

Cisco was going to die here. This was it.

* * *

Dick Grayson heard his phone buzz from the bench in the training room. He paused his exercise, taking his boxing gloves off as he walked over to his cell. He threw the gloves down on the bench and picked the phone up, looking at the caller ID.

It was the Flash.

Dick and the Flash hadn't actually talked that much. Dick didn't even know his real name. But, they had exchanged numbers just in case anything ever came up. The Flash calling him was a very bad sign.

"What's wrong?" Dick answered, really hoping it had nothing to do with Cisco, though he knew he wasn't that lucky.

"It's Cisco. Eiling has him again," the Flash said from the other end of the line.

"That's impossible, he's dead," Dick argued, already walking over to where his Nightwing uniform was stored.

"Well, he looked pretty alive to me. We need you in Central City."

"I'm on my way," Dick said, ending the call. He looked over to where Jason was doing target practice, all sound being blocked out by the gunshots. Dick walked over, slipping his phone in his pocket as Jason shot his last round, taking his headphones out.

"Pack up. We're going to Central City. Cisco's in trouble."

Jason nodded, throwing the headphones down and making his way to get his uniform and weapons. Dick sighed deeply before following him.

* * *

Oliver Queen knew there was something wrong. He could feel it. His suspicions were only confirmed when Felicity walked into the Arrowcave, phone in hand and a sad look on her face.

"Oliver... it's Cisco..."

He nodded and started getting his Arrow things together. 

"The jet'll be ready in ten," Felicity said, leaving Oliver to his packing and guilt.

* * *

Hartley had punched Barry in the face when he and Dante arrived back to S.T.A.R. Labs without Cisco. Barry had to admit he deserved it. Hartley had wanted to apologize ten minutes after the fact but had decided that he was still too angry with the speedster to say sorry, so he sat at Cisco's computer he had in his workshop and cried his eyes out. Hartley had decided a long time ago he wasn't one to cry but that whole philosophy had been thrown out the window. They had just made it out, Cisco had just come back. He didn't deserve this. No one deserved this, but least of all Cisco.

His eyes, blurry with tears, met Cisco's finished LEGO Hogwarts Express Hartley had gotten him for Christmas. He knew Cisco hadn't been at Christmas but when he came back a little after Hartley had gone to the mall and picked out a set he thought Cisco would enjoy. He had in fact _loved_ the LEGO set, so much that the hug he had given Hartley lasted at least a full minute. Hartley tried to think of the smile on Cisco's face when he unwrapped the gift (yes, Hartley "Scrooge" Rathaway had even wrapped it in some left-over Hanukkah paper he had from a few years ago) instead of the look of terror that must be currently on the engineer's face. 

It should have been him. Why did it always have to be Cisco?

Hartley wiped his tears away but they still poured out of his eyes.

* * *

The door of the room with Cisco's cage opened, making him look up. He pressed himself as far back as he possibly could, not wanting anything to do with the men entering the room. He recognized Eiling, but the other man's identity was a mystery to him. He was older with round glasses perched at the tip of his nose. He wore a very nice suit and his posture indicated authority. 

"Hello, Vibe. It is so nice to finally meet you in person," the man with the glasses said, a smile on his face that made Cisco nervous.

"My name is Ci-Cisco," he responded, hating how his voice shook. 

"Well, my name is Professor Hugo Strange," the man said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "And I am very excited that you're here."

"Let me g-go, _now!"_ Cisco shouted, wishing the collar around his neck would let him use his powers.

"I'm sorry, Vibe, but that's just not possible. Your powers are very powerful and can help a lot of people. We can help you help others. Don't you want to help people?"

"I helped people before I was ever taken. I don't need you."

Strange clicked his tongue as he came closer to Cisco's cage. "That's where you're wrong. You have the potential to be very powerful, Vibe. Let us help."

"Let me go!" Cisco growled, narrowing his eyes at Strange, who looked disappointed.

"Very well. I was hoping we could remain civil but that does not seem to be the case."

As quickly as the two men had arrived they left, the door closing loudly behind them and making Cisco jump. He whimpered, hugging his legs to his chest.

He just wanted to go home.


	11. Though I'm Weak and Beaten Down, I'll Slip Away Into the Sound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! school starts up again tomorrow which means chapters and new fics will come a little less frequently and I apologize about that! I think this will be the last chapter and then I will include the art i created and any you guys make. again, if you want to send in any art or really anything you created, let me know :)  
> okay, enjoy the LAST chapter!

> "Long ago we realized we can't possibly solve all the world's problems. And maybe we shouldn't even try. We understood that we needed to develop out hearts and minds and not just our fighting skills. With all the good that needs to be done, it was impossible to accept that nobody should ever do what we do 24/7. That way lies madness. Trust me, I know. If you come to believe you're a god and you fail, where does that leave you?"
> 
> _\- Dick Grayson, Nightwing #125_

* * *

When Felicity and Oliver arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs, Dick and Jason were already there in their Nightwing and Red Hood costumes, leaning over the computers at what Harry was showing them.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Oliver asked, setting his bow down on one of the desks, glad he was already in his Arrow uniform so the newcomers couldn't see his face.

"Arrow, this is Nightwing and Red Hood. They're here to help us get Cisco back," Barry said, also in his Flash suit. He looked tired, Oliver noticed.

"I've never seen you guys around before," Oliver argued, his arms crossed across his chest.

"We're from Gotham," Jason said, only looking up for a moment to address Oliver before turning his attention back to the screen.

Ralph walked in, wearing his uniform and Oliver sighed. "How many people did you call?"

"Look, man, this is Cisco we're talking about. I'm getting all the help I can get," Barry sighed, obviously stressed out.

Oliver held his hands up in a surrender position as Felicity went to one of the computers and began typing. "Any clue where our boy wonder is?"

"Funny, they used to call me that," Dick mumbled. Jason grinned under his mask but no one could see it.

"There's a tracker in Cisco's phone," Harry said, the images on the computer screen reflecting onto his glasses. "And it doesn't look like they tossed it until here."

He pointed to an alleyway on the GPS. It was positioned between two warehouses, both abandoned. 

"Okay, but they could have just tossed it on their way," Iris argued, leaning against the wall next to Dante, who hadn't said much since the incident.

"Yes, that's true, West, but if these buildings are abandoned then why is there a van parked right out front one of them? And why is said van the one that was reported stolen from the science museum?"

Harry clicked on a tab and it popped up with security footage from one of the buildings.

"I thought they were abandoned, why the security?" Ralph asked.

"They're old, I just got into them," Harry stated as if it were obvious. 

"Okay. We'll start there," Barry said, looking around at the team. It was rather mismatched and Oliver looked like he would deck Jason given the opportunity, but Barry didn't care about any of that. Every person in the room cared for Cisco and was willing to risk everything to get him back. Caitlin walked in her hair a cold silver and her eyes an icy blue. It looked like even Killer Frost was coming along.

"Let's go get our boy," Frost said, a smile on her face.

"I'm going with!"

Barry turned to see Hartley in his old Pied Piper uniform, complete with gauntlets. He had gone to his apartment while Harry was hacking the security cameras and found them under his bed. He didn't feel that great about using his powers ever since the facility, but Cisco needed him. If the roles were reversed, Cisco would do the same and he knew it.

"You don't have to-"

"No," Hartley said roughly, looking down at his feet when he realized how loud he had actually been. "Cisco... he risked his life for me. He was there for me when I had no one. And now he needs me and I'm gonna be there for him."

Barry nodded, a small smile on his face. "Okay. Let's go."

Felicity, Iris, Joe, Harry, and Dante watched as the Flash, Arrow, Nightwing, Red Hood, Enlongated Man, Killer Frost, and Pied Piper left, everyone praying that Cisco would be home soon.

* * *

Cisco woke up shivering. He rubbed his hands over his bare arms hoping to put some warmth into his body. It didn't help. His eyes met the brands on his forearms and he felt his heart ache in the way it always did when he looked at the brands. They were an ugly and permanent reminder of Eiling and the facility. He wished they would just go away but he knew they never would. He would forever be labeled a freak. Everyone would know.

He blinked back a tear. He wasn't going to cry. That's what they wanted him to do. They wanted to see him break down. He wasn't going to give them what they wanted.

The door opened again and Cisco instinctually pushed himself to the back of the cage. It was so small and he felt like a zoo animal. He hated it.

"Hello, Vibe. I thought you'd be hungry," Strange said, standing next to a guard who held a tray of food in his hands. Cisco's stomach decided now was the time to betray him to the enemy by growling.

"All you have to do is show us a bit of your abilities. We'll take the collar off, even get you got of that little cage. Don't you want that?"

Cisco wanted that very much. He hadn't eaten since breakfast with Dante and that was at least twenty-four hours ago if not more. His limbs were starting to cramp and fall asleep inside the cage and he could feel the tightness of the Meta collar around his neck leaving marks. Yes, he wanted all the things Strange promised.

"Fuck you," Cisco spat, glaring at Strange, who didn't seem that surprised. He nodded towards the guard, who set the food down in Cisco's sight, just out of reach. Then the two left, the door locking behind them despite the fact Cisco wasn't getting anywhere in the cage. He tried his best to ignore the food and go back to sleep. He laid his head against the floor of the cage and curled up as best as he could with the chains around his wrists. 

* * *

"I see it," Dick muttered, passing the binoculars to Jason, who took a look for himself. The two were positioned on top of the building across from the one they suspected Cisco was in. Oliver had wanted to scope out the roof but Dick had said he and Jason could do it, which seemed to annoy the Arrow, but he didn't start anything.

"What's it looking like?" Barry said over the comms from the alley where he stood next to Hartley.

Jason squinted as he looked through the special binoculars they had taken from the Batcave that could see heat signatures. Bruce wouldn't even miss them. That much. Whatever, it was for the greater good.

"About a dozen figures patrolling. Two sitting in a room. One alone, laying down. I think that might be Cisco. Anything on the computers back home?"

"You're looking good," Harry said over the comms, clicking through the camera footage.

"I'm hacking into their security systems remotely," Felicity stated, the sound of keyboard typing coming through the earpieces.

"I could have done that here," Dick said.

"Oh, honey, that's so cute," Felicity chuckled. 

Jason laughed and Dick shot him a dirty look.

"Give me another minute and you'll be good," Felicity said. "And guys... be careful."

"Careful is my middle name," Ralph smiled.

"I thought it was William," Frost said.

"How did you know that?" he demanded as she smiled and shrugged mysteriously. 

"Focus," Hartley barked, not looking away from the doors leading into the building. They were wasting time.

"Security is down. Go bring our boy home."

"Okay. Nightwing, Red Hood, stay on the roof until we give you the signal. Arrow, Frost, and Ralph, take the doors on the side. Piper, you're with me. Let's do this."

The team nodded and went to their respective positions. Hartley walked next to Barry as they entered the warehouse, closing the doors silently behind them.

"Flash and Piper are good on our end," Dick said into the comms. "The rest of you, two guards armed at ten o'clock."

Barry continued down the hall, looking at Hartley every once in a while. He was worried about him doing something rash. He hadn't even wanted him to come but he knew he wouldn't have taken no for an answer. He and Cisco were close now. If someone had told Barry he shouldn't go on this mission he would have been pissed. So here he was, no emotion on his face as the two walked down the long hallway and stepped around rubble and garbage. 

"Take a left, Flash. Then straight. You'll run into three guards but hey, that just means you're going the right way, huh?"

"Got it," Barry replied to Jason, looking over to Hartley to make sure he got the memo. His gauntlets began to glow green so he took that as a yes. 

They turned left and continued straight, hearing a conversation between the guards. When they got to the end of the hall they indeed saw the three guards Jason had told them about with their backs turned to the two Metas. Barry nodded at Hartley and they attacked. Barry ran quickly around them, taking their weapons and throwing them aside. Hartley shot one of the guards with a sound wave, sending him to the ground where he hit his head, knocking him out. Barry lightning punched the other two, also knocking them out.

"We make a pretty good team, Rathaway," Barry joked, smiling at the other man.

"Yeah, we kinda do, Allen," he replied, starting to continue down the hall.

"Nightwing, Red Hood," Barry said, his hand to his ear. "Here's the signal."

The window next to Hartley shattered and Dick swung in, dropping the rope and doing a backflip to land on his feet gracefully. Jason came next, though didn't do any acrobatics as Dick had.

"Now the party can get started," Jason said, pulling his two pistols out of their holsters. 

Meanwhile, Oliver shot a guard in the arm as Frost froze one to the ground. Ralph had tied up a guard as Oliver shot the guy in the eye.

"Jesus wanna calm it down a bit, Deadpool?" Ralph said, dropping the now-dead guard.

"Let's go," Oliver said, ignoring Ralph as he led them down the hallway, taking down another guard swiftly.

"Why are we even here?" Ralph asked Frost, who also seemed to be ignoring Ralph.

"Ollie, take a right," Felicity said in his ear and he obeyed, not looking back to see if Frost or Ralph were following.

* * *

Cisco's head felt like someone was using it for drum practice. He tried to rub his fingers against his forehead but it didn't help. He was hungry and thirsty and we wished he could reach just a couple more inches to get to the food. It was cold by now but he didn't care.

The door opened and he looked up to see Eiling, a gun drawn and ready to shoot. His stomach tied into a nervous knot.

"Your little friends are here," Eiling spat glaring down at Cisco as if he were a misbehaving puppy.

"They're coming for me," Cisco whispered to himself.

"I'm going to kill every last one of those masked freaks," Eiling stated, cocking his gun. "And you'll watch."

"Actually, I think he'll watch us kick your ass," Barry said, standing in the doorway. Eiling shot but Barry caught the bullet, throwing them to the ground. Eiling went to shoot again but before he could Jason had his two pistols aimed right at him.

"I dare you to try," he sneered behind his mask.

Hartley and Dick walked in, Hartley going straight for Cisco. He was in a tiny cage that was barely big enough for him with his wrists chained. Hartley recognized the Meta collar around his neck and frowned. 

"Hey, it's me," Hartley said softly, placing a hand between the bars.

"Hart-Hartley," Cisco smiled a little.

"Yeah, it's me. We're gonna get you outta here, okay?"

Cisco nodded, his head still pounding. 

"Where are the keys, Eiling? Dick asked, narrowing his eyes. _"Now."_

Eiling smiled. "You won't get away. Vibe is ours."

"Hey," Hartley yelled, standing from where he kneeled next to Cisco. "He's no one's property, least of all yours. What you did to him is unforgivable and I will fucking kill you where you stand."

"Piper, don't-"

Hartley cut Barry off. "No! I'm sick of this. How the hell are you even alive?"

"That would be me," a new voice said. They turned to see Professor Strange enter the room.

"I met your other friends," he said, giving a small smile to Cisco who squirmed uncomfortably. "They are currently subdued. Not dead, though I can always make that happen."

He walked closer to Barry and studied him from behind his glasses. "Interesting. You would make an excellent study."

"We'll have to take a raincheck on that," Barry said, standing his ground.

Strange gave a small frown. "That's too bad."

He nodded towards Eiling who smiled and clicked a button on a remote he held that no one had noticed. The team could hear footsteps coming down the hall and got into a defensive position as about two dozen guards came in, decked out in full gear.

"Get rid of them," Strange said in a remorseful way.

The team attacked, Hartley throwing sound waves, Jason shooting bullets, Barry dodging attacks and catching bullets, and Dick using his escrima sticks to take them down. Eiling went to Cisco's cage and unlocked the door. Cisco pushed himself towards the back but Eiling took him by the ankle and pulled him forward to remove the chain from the cuffs, leaving Cisco's wrists restained but no longer attached. He grabbed onto Cisco's long hair and pulled him up to a standing position, ignoring the kicks he tried to deliver to his body.

"Damn it, hold still," he roared, pulling back Cisco's hair roughly, making the shorter man yelp in pain. He went to put his gun to Cisco's head but he received an arrow in the shoulder, making him drop Cisco and his gun.

"Like you can get rid of us that easily," Frost chucked, shooting ice daggers towards the general.

"Cisco, you okay?" Oliver asked, looking over as he shot another arrow.

"I... I think," Cisco pulled on the cuffs. "Get... get them off, please?"

Ralph stretched his arm towards Eiling, who laid on the ground, still breathing. He found the keys in his pocket and brought them back, moving over to Cisco to unlock the cuffs and the collar, grabbing his hand to help him to his feet. Cisco swayed a little from not standing for a while, but Ralph grabbed his shoulder to stabilize him, giving him a smile.

"Th-thanks," Cisco said, looking over to where Eiling laid. He started walking over as the fighting between the guards ended, Strange in handcuffs Barry had supplied.

"Cisco, what are you doing?" Hartley questioned, watching as the shorter man got closer and closer to the general.

"Finishing this," he breathed, standing over the general like he had done to Cisco so many times.

"You... you c-can't kill me," Eiling coughed up a bit of blood. "You don't h-have it in you."

Cisco raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Eiling nodded, sneering. "I know you. You won't do it."

Cisco smirked. "You don't know a fucking thing about me."

His eyes glowed blue as sonic blasts shot out of his hands towards the general. He screamed in pain but Cisco didn't let up until the shouts of pain ceased.

"Try coming back from that, bastard," Cisco spat, turning towards the rest of the team. They watched him with curiosity and Cisco was nervous that they were mad about what he had done. 

"Look, I'm-"

"Good job," Oliver said, a rare smile on his face.

"Let's go home," Barry agreed.

* * *

Dante was the first to hug Cisco when he walked through the doors of S.T.A.R. Labs.

"G-d, _hermano_ , I was so scared! I'm so sorry-"

"It wasn't your fault, Dante," Cisco said, hugging his brother back.

"Welcome home!" Iris smiled brightly.

Cisco smiled. He was home. This was his family. He was safe.

"Cisco," Hartley said, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? I know that's a dumb question, but-"

Cisco planted a small kiss on Hartley's lips, making his blush a deep red. "I'm gonna be okay. Promise."

"I'm gonna order ten pizzas. It's party time," Ralph declared, his phone already out. Are you guys staying?"

Felicity and Oliver looked at one another as did Dick and Jason. The four nodded, smiling. Jason had even taken off his Red Hood helmet, leaving only the black mask that resembled Dick's on, though they were all going to remove their masks in about ten minutes. To hell with secret identities between family, though Felicity would declare her shock at the fact that Bruce Wayne's adopted sons fought crime and Jason would stare disbelieving at Oliver for about an hour.

The pizza came and the team sat in the lounge, chatting amongst one another. Cisco smiled at the sight of everyone around him. He looked down at his lap and realized that he had his arms exposed. He hadn't even felt uncomfortable about it. He took another bite of pizza and laid his head against Hartley's side. 

Yes, this was indeed home.

* * *

> "No doubt... Endings are hard, but then again... nothing ever really ends, does it?"
> 
> _\- Chuck Shurey (G-d), Supernatural_


	12. The Artwork

Thank you to everyone who submitted art and thank you to everyone who commented and left kudos and read this series! I couldn't have done it without you guys!!! If you are reading this in the not-too-distant future, next Sunday AD, then **please feel free to link your artwork or videos or whatever you decide to create in the comments!** Even if it's years from now and The Flash has ended or whatever or like, civilization has been taken over by talking dogs, **you can still link your work and I'll add it in!** I love to see it!!!

Okay, here are some of my sketches! They're not the best, but that's okay, I'm more of a writer than an artist.

Here is an amazing collage edit from @sleepyssnail (both on AO3 and Tumblr)! Thank you so much I love it!!! Cisco and Hartley and Barry and Batfam?! YES, IT'S PERFECT!!!

Okay, the next is a comic of a scene in the fic that my friend drew! They're @kaythrinedraws on Instagram and you should totally check them out! Just... LOOK AT THIS!!! SO AMAZING!!!

Again, if you have anything you'd like to share, comment the link and I'll put it in. Thank you so much to everyone who decided to read my little series and an extra thank you to those who made awesome things for the series! I love you guys so much!!!


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